Man sentenced to state prison for running over 4 boys in Burlingame in 2020

A Peninsula man has been sentenced to more than a decade in state prison after being convicted of assault after driving his SUV into a crowd of teens in 2020, prosecutors in San Mateo County said Monday.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe's office said in a statement that 22-year-old Omeed Sean Adibi was sentenced on Friday to 16 years with 1,867 days credit for time served. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence of 17 years, while Adibi had asked for leniency.

Adibi was convicted on May 3 following a 25-day jury trial and three days of deliberations. He was convicted of five counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon with bodily injury enhancements, along with two counts of felony hit-and-run resulting in a serious injury.

Jurors found Adibi not guilty to charges of attempted murder and acquitted him on charges of attempted voluntary manslaughter.

According to prosecutors, on the evening of Feb. 29, 2020 , two 12-year-old boys and three 13-year-old boys were walking on Howard Avenue and Clarendon Road when Adibi drove his Mercedes SUV onto the sidewalk. Adibi hit four of the five boys before striking a fire hydrant.

Prosecutors said Adibi drove away from the scene, dragging the fire hydrant behind him. He was arrested after pulling over and attempting to remove the hydrant.

One of the 12-year-old boys suffered a traumatic brain injury and was hospitalized in critical condition, while one of the 13-year-old boys suffered a spinal injury and lung bruising. Two other victims suffered foot fractures and foot soreness.

Authorities said at the time that Adibi had thought the boys vandalized his vehicle, placing dog feces in his car . An investigation revealed that Adibi's own acquaintances committed the prank and that there was no prior relation between the victims and the suspect.

During Friday's sentencing hearing, nine members of the victims' families presented victim impact statements, while two additional statements were read to the court.

Prosecutors said the case was continued to Sep. 20 for a hearing on restitution.