Ex-L.A. County sheriff’s sergeant is charged with illegally firing gun, hitting neighbor’s home

A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s sergeant was charged Tuesday with unlawfully firing his handgun in his backyard, hitting a television and his neighbor’s house, Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced.

Joel Nebel, 55, who was a sergeant at the time of the July 28, 2021, shooting, faces a felony count of discharging a fireman with gross negligence. He is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 7 in downtown Los Angeles, court records show.

Nebel was off duty when he fired several rounds from his handgun, prosecutors said. One round struck his television and another struck the neighbor’s home, but no one was injured, officials said.

The incident triggered an investigation by the Sheriff’s Department’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau, officials said. A few days later, he was arrested by sheriff’s investigators at his Santa Clarita Valley home, according to sheriff’s arrest records.

With the investigation pending, Nebel retired from the department in March. He served in recent years as a supervisor in Santa Clarita, the department said in a statement.