A man in an electronic wheelchair who held a gun after he allegedly shoplifted items at the Chula Vista Kmart was determined Friday to be mentally competent to stand trial.
The attorney for Michael Hanby, 30, of San Diego, had suspected his client was not mentally competent, but San Diego Superior Court Judge Stephen Stone read reports from two psychologists and found he was mentally fit for trial.
Stone set a trial date for Aug. 7 in Chula Vista Superior Court. Hanby, who uses a wheelchair in court, remains in jail without bail.
On Sept. 2, 2014, Chula Vista Police responded to the report of a robbery at 9:30 p.m. in the parking lot in the 800 block of East H Street. Employees from Kmart called police to report that Hanby had pushed a cartload of electronic gear, including a TV, 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.
He was arrested with assistance from a canine unit.
