A man in an electronic wheelchair who held a gun to Kmart employees in Chula Vista after he shoplifted items was sentenced April 7 to 11 years in state prison.
Mike Alan Hanby, 31, might be sent to a medical facility in prison because he needs a wheelchair to get around, but it is up to the state Department of Corrections where he goes.
Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Garry Haehnle gave Hanby credit for serving 669 days in jail since the Sept. 2, 2014 incident in the parking lot at 875 East H Street. Employees followed Hanby out the store at 9:30 p.m. when he pushed a cartload of electronic gear including two televisions to his van without paying for it.
When the employees confronted Hanby, he pulled out a revolver. He lowered a ramp on his van, got inside, and drove away. Police set out spike strips at Fifth Avenue and Broadway in San Diego, and flattened at least one tire of the van, which had a disabled license plate. He was arrested with assistance from a canine unit near San Diego Police HQs.
Hanby, of San Diego, represented himself at his trial in November 2015. The jury convicted him of four counts of assault with a firearm, carrying a loaded gun, evading police with reckless driving, burglary, and concealing firearms in his vehicle.
No restitution was ordered because the cart with $1,900 in merchandise was recovered. Also in the cart were two toy robots, clothing, an Xbox, batteries, and a screwdriver.
Deputy District Attorney Kristina Hein asked for a sentence of 11 years and four months. Hanby got an attorney for sentencing who asked for a lesser amount of time.
