Newport man wounded by police is sentenced for firing gun at beach

A Newport Beach man was sentenced Monday to 240 days in jail and five years’ probation for firing a handgun at the beach last summer before police shot him.

As part of a plea agreement, Scott Jay Abraham, 44, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, his lawyer Paul Meyer said.

Prosecutors dropped two similar charges and a felony count of grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, according to court records.

Police wounded Abraham on July 11 after they responded to his beachfront condominium to investigate a report of gunshots.

A neighbor told the Daily Pilot at the time that before police arrived, Abraham had been pointing a .45-caliber handgun toward the ocean and shooting it into the air.

Officers found Abraham on the patio outside his home in the 4600 block of Seashore Drive and fired when they saw him shoot at least one round, authorities said.

The shooting left Abraham in critical condition, but he recovered and has attended court hearings.

He already has served a portion of his jail sentence. According to court records, he was arrested July 11 and released July 29 when he posted $100,000 bail.

Abraham will spend the remainder of his sentence at a private facility, Meyer said.

It’s unclear where Abraham got the gun he was firing. Newport Beach police said they had confiscated his firearms after they detained him June 9 for a 72-hour psychiatric assessment.

Officers initiated the psychiatric hold after checking on Abraham at the request of friends who were worried that he could be a danger to himself or others, police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said last year.

The assessment included a five-year ban on owning firearms, according to Manzella, who said police confiscated an unspecified number of weapons.

Meyer declined to say how Abraham got the gun in spite of the ban. He also declined to say what Abraham was shooting at.

Prosecutors did not immediately respond to questions Monday.

The Orange County district attorney’s office hasn’t yet released results of an investigation into whether police were justified in shooting Abraham.