Man charged with firing BB gun at H.B. police substation

A man has been charged with firing a BB gun at a Huntington Beach Police Department substation, officials reported.

Antonio Padilla, 29, of Huntington Beach is facing one felony count of vandalism and one misdemeanor count of grossly negligent discharge of a BB device, with a possible sentencing enhancement for a previous felony conviction for aggravated assault in Orange County, the county district attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Padilla is accused of shooting a BB gun at the Oakview police substation in a strip mall at Beach Boulevard and Slater Avenue at about 1 p.m. March 16. Officials said Padilla fired four shots at the substation’s window and fled.

He was arrested later that day and was charged Monday, prosecutors said.

No injuries were reported in the shooting.

The damage to the substation was estimated at nearly $1,000.

If convicted, Padilla could face a maximum of six years in state prison, prosecutors said.