Two teenagers were seriously injured when a driver enraged by damage done to his car during a “prank” struck an innocent group of pedestrians he wrongly believed were responsible, police in Northern California said.
Two other teenagers had moderate injuries after the attack Saturday. The 18-year-old driver, Omeed Adibi, of San Mateo, was arrested, Burlingame Police Lt. Laura Terada said.
Officers found the injured teenagers after responding to a report that an SUV had crashed into four teenagers walking on the sidewalk before driving off, Terada said.
Two of the teens were rushed to Stanford Hospital with major injuries, while the other two taken to San Francisco General Hospital with moderate injuries, Terada said. All four are from the city of San Mateo, the Mercury News reported.
As emergency responders helped the four teens at the scene, Terada said, witnesses described the vehicle to officers and police quickly found it and the driver.
Adibi was booked on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and driving under the influence, according to jail records.
Adibi allegedly believed that the four teens had tampered with his car, Terada said, and wanted to get back at them — but it was actually his own friends who damaged his car in a prank.
“It was a case of mistaken identity,” Terada said.
As of Monday morning, both teens at Stanford remained hospitalized, Terada said; one is in critical condition. A third remains at San Francisco General with moderate injuries, while the fourth was released over the weekend.
Adibi remains in San Mateo County jail on no bail status.