18-year-old arrested months after teen died at Airbnb house party, California cops say

An 18-year-old has been arrested months after a teen was fatally shot at a house party at an Airbnb rental, California officials said.

The teen was arrested Dec. 16 in connection to a shooting in August at a house party with 150 to 200 teens present, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety told KRON 4.

McClatchy News is not naming the 18-year-old because he was a juvenile at the time of the shooting.

The home was rented out as an Aribnb, according to the news outlet.

On Aug. 7, police responded to reports of a party at a house on Navarro Drive, according to CBS San Francisco. When they arrived, they heard gunshots from inside the home and found two men shot, the Department of Safety told the news outlet.

Both people were taken to a hospital, CBS SF reported. However, 18-year-old Elias Elhania of Santa Clara died from injuries, according to KTVU.

Investigators told KTVU that information about the shooting was limited, even though there were several witnesses.

After a search warrant was served at the suspect’s home, officials found several handguns and ammunition, according to KTVU.

The suspect was arrested and charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder, according to CBS SF. He was booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall because he was 17 at the time of the shooting.

After the party, Airbnb said it would be pursuing legal action against the guest who threw the unauthorized party, McClatchy News reported. The event violated the rental company’s “global ban on parties,” which was first implemented in August 2020 to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Airbnb told McClatchy News the guest “booked the listing under false pretenses” and was banned from the platform.