Suspect Pleads Not Guilty To Shooting At Sheriff's Vehicle In Rolling Hills Estates

TORRANCE, CA — A man accused of firing a shot at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department patrol vehicle in Rolling Hills Estates pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of attempted murder and assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer.

The charges against Shane Michael Mahoney, 39, include allegations of personal use and discharge of a firearm. He is due back in court Oct. 15, when a hearing will be held to determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.

A co-defendant, Arianna Charmaine Mitchell, 23, previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of being an accessory to the crime. She allegedly helped Mahoney try to evade arrest. She is due back in court July 9, when a date will be set for a preliminary hearing.

Mahoney and Mitchell are both free on bail.

Mahoney faces 35 years to life in prison if convicted as charged, while Mitchell faces up to three years behind bars, prosecutors said.

Mahoney is accused of firing a shot around 9 a.m. Feb. 22 in the 600 block of Deep Valley Drive that struck the rear of a sheriff's patrol vehicle. The deputy driving the vehicle was not injured. Prosecutors said Mahoney allegedly fired the shot from the balcony of an apartment complex.

Sheriff Robert Luna said previously that the day after the shooting, Mahoney and Mitchell flew to Hawaii, where they remained until their arrest in early March. Investigators, aided by surveillance video, identified Mahoney as the alleged shooter and served a search warrant at a home near the shooting scene, where they seized an assault rifle, three semi-automatic weapons and ammunition, the sheriff said.

It was unclear what motivated the shooting.

Authorities said the deputy who was targeted in the shooting had responded to the area for a call of a reckless driver, and he was driving away when the shot rang out. The deputy is assigned to the Carson station, but was working an overtime shift out of the Lomita station, Luna said.

Luna said the shot fired at the deputy struck the trunk of the vehicle and traveled into the rear seat panel. The bullet did not enter the front seat area, he said.