Father allegedly shoots at vehicle carrying teens accused of bullying his daughter

SAN MATEO, Calif. -- A California father allegedly fired at a vehicle occupied by several teenagers he says had been bullying his daughter, officials said. Now, the man faces multiple charges for what prosecutors said was an unreasonable and dangerous response.

The shooting incident occurred early Sunday in San Mateo, police said. Officers investigated a "shooting into an occupied vehicle stemming from alleged bullying and/or harassment," the San Mateo Police Department said in a statement. Craig Steven Miceli, 54, was arrested on multiple charges, according to the department.

Prosecutors said the suspect fired two rounds from a handgun down the street at the vehicle after his daughter's classmates had egged his house.

"He said he was just trying to shoot at the tires, but one of those went into the passenger side of [the vehicle] where the three boys were located," San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe told ABC San Francisco station KGO on Wednesday.

"Fortunately, they were not hit," he added.

The same teens reportedly poured canola oil on steps outside of the man's house days earlier.

The father has been charged with multiple felonies, including assault with a firearm and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle.

"It's because of that discharge of the firearm that brought it out of the arena of teenage pranks and into the criminal justice world," Wagstaffe told KGO.

"It's the response that's the crime. You do not get to take a firearm out and point it at a car with human beings in it and fire," the district attorney told the station.

The suspect also faces additional gun charges after authorities found an illegal automatic rifle during a search of his home, according to Wagstaffe.

Miceli pleaded not guilty to all charges during his arraignment on Tuesday. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 9. ABC News reached out to his attorney for comment but has not yet received a response.

San Mateo police said that while no one was injured in the incident, "the impact of bullying in this situation, and many other situations like it, will likely continue to significantly impact the involved parties for some time." The department urged those experiencing bullying to contact it for support "to help prevent another potentially tragic event from occurring."

Wagstaffe also said he hopes the teenage boys involved learned a lesson.

"One prays that they've got the sufficient brainpower to understand they were lucky -- and luck doesn't always happen," he told KGO.