Man who landed stolen plane on Half Moon Bay beach will not stand trial
(KRON) — A man who stole a private plane in Palo Alto, flew it over coastal mountains, and landed it on a Half Moon Bay beach will not stand trial, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
San Mateo County Judge Sean Dabel ruled that Luiz “Sunrock” Gustavo Aires is not competent to stand trial and suspended all criminal proceedings. Aires, 50, was a no-show in court and refused to leave his jail cell, prosecutors said.
Aires previously told investigators that he stole the plane to “show the government that airports lack proper security,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote. He made headlines after he slipped through a gap in Palo Alto Airport’s perimeter fence on February 8 and took off in the single-engine plane without a key.
He landed the plane between Poplar and Redondo beaches in front of stunned witnesses. Aires told investigators that he grew up in Brazil and learned how to fly there.
Prosecutors charged Aires with identity theft and stealing an airplane. In February, his defense attorney raised doubts about the homeless man’s competency to understand court proceedings. A court-appointed psychiatrist evaluated Aires’ mental state and the judge sided with the defense on Tuesday. Judge Dabel ordered Aires to return to court on May 21.
As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in custody in lieu of $10,000 bail, inmate records show.
The plane, worth $150,000, “was not seriously damaged,” prosecutors wrote.
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