Marin man whose teenage crime spree ended in Richmond paroled after 12 years
A San Rafael man whose teenage crime spree ended in Richmond after stealing celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s Lamborghini and attempted murder could soon be released from prison.
According to the San Francisco Standard, a state Parole Board granted Max Wade parol on Thursday.
Wade was convicted of a 2012 shooting in Mill Valley and a Mission Impossible-style heist of Fieri’s yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo, which he hid at CSI Mini Storage at 855 Parr Blvd. in Richmond.
Wade was arrested at the storage facility after a struggle with Marin County Sheriff detectives on April 28, 2012.
According to the San Francisco Standard, Wade’s parole approval is preliminary and is subject to review for up to 120 days.
tchiensfstandard.com
Wade was 17 when he fired several shots from a motorcycle into a truck occupied by two teens in Mill Valley.
Investigation efforts centered on identifying Wade through surveillance and witness reports.
Surveillance footage from a Cycle Gear store in San Francisco confirmed Wade had recently purchased a distinctive Bilit helmet and dark clothing similar to those worn by the suspect in the Mill Valley shooting.
Wade was also known locally for distributing counterfeit IDs and driving a yellow Lamborghini. Following a chance encounter at a courthouse, detectives trailed Wade to his home in San Rafael.
Major Crimes Taskforce detectives observed Wade leave his San Rafael home in a black Ford Crown Victoria in 2012.
Detectives followed the car and watched from a helicopter as it made its way to CSI Mini Storage at 855 Parr Blvd., in Richmond. Wade entered a steel storage container and left 30 minutes later in a yellow convertible Lamborghini Gallardo. Detectives followed the car to Marin, where it turned around in Corte Madera and returned to the Richmond storage center.
Wade locked the Lamborghini in the storage container and left on foot, where detectives tried to arrest him. Wade took off running west on Parr Boulevard. Detectives detained Wade and found a loaded Glock handgun in Wade’s waistband with additional magazines in his pocket. Police also found $1,500 in cash, a fake driver’s license, and two cell phones.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for the storage container where they found the Lamborghini. They determined that it was stolen from a San Francisco car dealership in a well-publicized crime in which the thief rappelled from the ceiling and swiped celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s $200,000 Italian sports car.
Detectives also found the motorcycle and Bilit helmet, which they believed were used by Wade during the Mill Valley shooting.
They also found multiple false identification cards, a dismantled AKA-47 assault weapon, a shotgun and cell phone jamming equipment, and a full San Francisco Police Department uniform, including a badge and duty belt.
While in custody, an attempt was made to break Wade out of Marin County Juvenile Hall before he turned 18 and was transferred to county jail.
At least two people cut through fences and tried to use a sledgehammer to break the window of the isolation cell where Wade was held. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Wade was soon transferred to Marin County Jail.
Marin County Deputy District Attorney Yvette Martinez said Wade committed the crime of attempted murder and argued for a life sentence, saying Wade was a brazen criminal who did not deserve leniency.
“He actually admits to being the burglar in the Lamborghini case. He wants to be a brazen criminal. He wants the attention,” Martinez said. “The defendant is very dangerous and very nearly killed two people.”
Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives host Guy Fieri was called to testify about his stolen Lamborghini in October 2013. After testifying, Fieri told reporters that his friends would tell him they had seen his yellow Lamborghini on the freeway.
“I was like there’s more than one yellow Lamborghini convertible probably in Northern California,” Fieri said in 2014. “People would call, and we’d get reports, and my attorney would hear about it. Well, come to find out that he was driving it. Brave kid.”
Following a high-profile trial, Marin County Superior Court Judge Kelly Simmons sentenced Wade to life in prison plus 20 years for discharging a firearm. Wade was also sentenced to 16 months for charges related to the car theft from a British Motors dealership on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco on March 8, 2011.
Sentencing guidelines when Wade was convicted required defendants convicted of attempted murder to face life sentences with the possibility of parole. Under California’s “Use a Gun and You’re Done” law, defendants faced a mandatory minimum prison sentence for using a firearm during violent felonies.
“The sentence I’m required to impose is a life sentence with the possibility of parole plus an additional 20 years for using a firearm,” Simmons said when she sentenced Wade in 2014.
In 2021, Simmons reduced Wade’s sentence by ten years after Wade’s attorney asked the court to reconsider it. Senate Bill 620 gave judges discretion on adding extra time for firearms-related crimes.
While in prison, Wade reportedly earned a GED and is studying computer science. Although he aspires to work in cybersecurity, he would be happy with any job opportunity.
“I don’t have a desire to seek control,” he said. “I don’t have a desire to maintain the narrative of an outlaw,” the Standard reported.
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