April 30--In an unexpected twist, a stolen Lamborghini convertible reportedly owned by celebrity chef and TV host Guy Fieri has been recovered from a San Rafael teen arrested Saturday in connection with a Mill Valley shooting.
The yellow, 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder -- valued at more than $200,000 when new -- was recovered from a storage container in Point Richmond, where a 17-year-old shooting suspect was arrested Saturday evening.
"I would like to thank the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the Mill Valley Police Department for their hard work and effort in the recovery of my car," Fieri said Monday through a spokeswoman. "I'm glad we can put this behind us, and feel better knowing that justice is being served."
The vehicle was stolen in the early morning hours of March 8, 2011 from an auto dealership on San Francisco's Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco police spokesman Albie Esparza said.
It appeared a thief had rapelled from the roof of the dealership and entered through a window, Esparza said. The vehicle was later photographed by security cameras traveling north on the Golden Gate Bridge and in and out of Tiburon, he said.
At the time, San Francisco police notified other law enforcement agencies and port officials, believing the suspect might attempt to transport the vehicle by sea, he said.
"You don't just drive down the street in a bright yellow Lamborghini and not be noticed," Esparza said.
The vehicle was
recovered Saturday by detectives from the Marin County Sheriff's Office and the Marin County Major Crimes Task Force, who acted on a search warrant of the storage facility "belonging to the juvenile" suspect, Marin sheriff's Sgt. Mark Hale said in a statement.
They arrested the 17-year-old suspect, who was in possession of a loaded handgun, Hale said.
The juvenile is suspected of firing a handgun from a motorcycle at two people who were parked in a pickup truck on Evergreen Avenue in Mill Valley at about 11:30 a.m. April 13. The victims, one male and one female, suffered minor injuries from broken window glass but no gunshot wounds.
The suspect was booked Saturday at Marin County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of attempted murder, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of a loaded firearm and resisting arrest. The suspect was being held without bail.
A resident of Santa Rosa, Fieri owns several Bay Area restaurants and is the host of the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives," "Guy's Big Bite" and "Tailgate Warriors" and the NBC game show, "Minute to Win It."
It is likely that an insurance company has already compensated the owner of the vehicle, Esparza said.
Contact Will Jason via email at [email protected]; the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Copyright 2012 - The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.
