He stole Guy Fieri’s car, shot at a romantic rival and got a life sentence. Now he’s been granted parole
A young man who was convicted of stealing celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s $200,000 Lamborghini and later shooting into an occupied vehicle has been granted parole after serving about 11 years in prison.
At the age of 17, Max Wade stole Fieri’s Lamborghini to impress a girl and, months later, attempted to shoot a man who was dating that same girl, crimes that led to his 2013 sentence of 21 years to life in prison.
Wade, now 29, was found guilty of commercial burglary and auto theft 11 years ago after he rappelled from a high window into British Motors in San Francisco where Fieri’s Lamborghini was being repaired. At the time of the 2011 robbery, Wade didn’t know the car belonged to Fieri, according to the SFGate.
Wade was also found guilty of attempted murder and firing a gun into an occupied vehicle in Mill Valley after he shot at a pickup truck carrying the girl he was infatuated with and her date. Wade was riding a motorcycle during the incident and the San Francisco Standard reported that he wasn’t aware that the girl was in the vehicle at the time. Neither person was injured.
The State Board of Parole’s decision to grant Wade parole is pending a 120-day review period.
A federal judge sentenced Anthony David Flores to nearly 16 years in prison and ordered him to pay $1 million in restitution
After the shooting, authorities found the stolen Lamborghini, along with a motorcycle and revolver that was used in the shooting, in a Richmond storage facility where Wade had rented space, according to the Mercury News.
At the time of the trial, Fieri testified that he did not know the teen and did not give him permission to take his car out of the San Francisco dealership.
At a July parole hearing, Wade said he did not try to kill the man in the pickup truck out of jealousy, but because of an online confrontation between the two a few weeks earlier, according to the Standard.
In 2021, a judge reduced Wade’s sentence by 10 years after Wade’s attorney petitioned the judge to reconsider the sentence imposed for Wade’s gun charges, the Mercury News reported.
The State Board of Parole did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for a statement on its decision to grant Wade parole.
During the parole hearing, William Muniz, a parole board commissioner, said Wade had avoided “any serious violations during his time in prison.” A clinician also said Wade is a “moderate-low” risk, according to the Standard.
The Times reached out to Wade’s attorney, Tracy Lum, for comment but did not receive a response before press time.
Wade’s criminal past includes making and selling fake I.D.’s at 14 years old, SFGate reported.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
