Jury rejects attempted murder charges in 2020 Burlingame vehicle attack against teens, opts for lesser felonies

A San Mateo County jury rejected attempted murder charges Friday against a San Mateo man accused of running down four teenagers with his car four years ago after a prank that went awry — opting instead to convict the 23-year-old man on a series of lesser felony charges.

On the third day of deliberations, the jury found Omeed Adibi guilty of five counts of assault with a deadly weapon, as well as five counts of hit and run causing injury, all felonies, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.

In doing so, the panel found Adibi not guilty of the most serious charges of attempted murder in the February 2020 attack. Adibi was accused of driving his black Mercedes SUV into a group of five teenagers who were walking on a sidewalk along Howard Avenue in Burlingame, causing serious injuries to several.

Prosecutors claimed the attack was in retaliation for a prank that Adibi pinned on a group of the group of five teens. In reality, authorities said the prank had been carried out by Adibi’s own friends, who allegedly put animal feces inside his car the day before the crash.

Check back for updates to this developing report.