A bright-yellow Lamborghini owned by celebrity chef Guy Fieri that was stolen last year from a San Francisco car dealership was found in a storage unit in Point Richmond on Saturday, authorities said today. Fieri, a chef who has hosted several TV shows, including “Guy’s Big Bite” on the Food Network and “Minute to Win It” on NBC, had his 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo stolen early the morning of March 8, 2011, from the British Motor Car Distributors dealership at 901 Van Ness Ave. The car, which is valued at more than $200,000, remained missing until this weekend when Marin County sheriff’s investigators stumbled upon it while searching a storage container in Point Richmond.
The container belonged to a 17-year-old boy who was arrested Saturday on suspicion of shooting into an occupied car in Mill Valley earlier this month, according to the sheriff’s office. The shooting occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m. on April 13 in the 100 block of Evergreen Avenue when someone rode a motorcycle up to a parked car and opened fire with a handgun at close range on two people inside the vehicle, sheriff’s officials said. The victims were not hit by the gunfire but suffered minor injuries from broken glass. The teen, whose name is not being released because he is a juvenile, was arrested at about 7:05 p.m. Saturday outside the CSI Mini Storage facility at 855 Parr Blvd. in Richmond, sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Hale said. Investigators then served a search warrant on the teen’s storage container and found the motorcycle and other items believed to have been used during the shooting, as well as Fieri’s Lamborghini, which Hale said is still “in very good shape.”
The boy, a San Rafael resident, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of a loaded firearm and resisting arrest. He is being held without bail because of the seriousness of the offenses, according to the sheriff’s office. Hale said investigators have not yet determined whether the teen is responsible for stealing the car.
In the daring heist, the thief rappelled down from the roof of the dealership, entered through a window, then drove away in the car, police said. Surveillance video footage obtained from the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin County town of Tiburon showed the Lamborghini driving by after the theft, investigators said.
Fieri released a statement this morning after learning that his car had been recovered. “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,” he said. “I’m glad we can put this behind us, and feel better knowing that justice is being served.”
