People v. Bautista

22 Cal. Rptr. 3d 845, 125 Cal. App. 4th 646, 2005 Daily Journal DAR 153, 2005 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 120, 2005 Cal. App. LEXIS 8
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 5, 2005
DocketF043279
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 22 Cal. Rptr. 3d 845 (People v. Bautista) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Bautista, 22 Cal. Rptr. 3d 845, 125 Cal. App. 4th 646, 2005 Daily Journal DAR 153, 2005 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 120, 2005 Cal. App. LEXIS 8 (Cal. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

Opinion

DAWSON, J.

In March 2002, in case No. 86117, Pablo Bautista (appellant) pled no contest to assault with a firearm (Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(2)) 1 and admitted the offense was committed for the benefit of a gang (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)). He was sentenced to a term of seven years in state prison. The execution of the term was suspended and he was placed on five years’ probation with various terms, including that he serve one year in jail.

In early 2003, appellant violated probation, and new charges were filed against him in case No. 103270. Following a jury trial, appellant was found guilty of count 1, discharging a firearm in a grossly negligent manner *649 (§ 246.3); count 2, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon (§ 12021, subd. (a)(1)); and count 3, shooting a firearm from a vehicle (§ 12034, subd. (d)). Allegations that the offenses were committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang (§ 186.22, subd. (b)(1)), that appellant had a prior strike conviction (§ 1170.12, subd. (c)(1)), and that he had a prior serious felony conviction (§ 667, subd. (a)(1)) were found true.

Appellant was sentenced to 14 years in state prison in the current case, No. 103270: the midterm, doubled, for a total of four years, plus five years each for the gang enhancement and prior serious felony enhancement on count 1. The term for count 2—four years plus an additional three years pursuant to section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1)—was imposed but stayed (§ 654). The term for count 3—four years plus an additional five years pursuant to section 186.22, subdivision (b)(1)—was imposed and ordered to be served concurrent with count 1, plus a five-year enhancement pursuant to section 667, subdivision (a)(1), which was imposed but stayed. Appellant was credited with 210 days for time served.

On appellant’s prior case, No. 86117, probation was revoked and he was sentenced to seven years, concurrent, with 597 days’ credit for time served.

We disagree with appellant’s claims of insufficiency of the evidence and prejudicial instructional error. We agree that one of the five-year enhancements added to count 1 must be stricken. Appellant contends, respondent concedes, and we agree that a section 654 error occurred as to count 3 and that the section 667, subdivision (a)(1) enhancement imposed on count 2 must be deleted. In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed.

FACTS

Gang Evidence

A stipulated gang expert, Detective Greg Lopez, explained the prison gang origins of rival Sureño and Norteño gangs and their identifications with the numbers 13 and 14 and with the colors blue and red, respectively. Lopez testified as to the criteria used to identify gang members and how their territory is marked.

According to Detective Lopez, Tulare has 100 Sureño gang members who identify themselves as the Wicked Ass Sureño gang and over 300 Norteño gang members. Typical crimes committed by the Sureño gang members include vandalism, auto theft, burglary, and homicide. The crimes are committed to intimidate or eliminate rival gang members. Respect is a notion important in gang life, and crimes often are committed in retaliation for showing disrespect.

*650 Prior Gang-related Offense

Detective Lopez testified that he investigated a January 2002 drive-by shooting in which several suspects, including appellant, were arrested for attempted murder. The shooting was in retaliation for a beating suffered by a Sureño gang member at the hands of a Norteño. Lopez opined that appellant was a Sureño gang member at the time of that incident, based on his clothing, the type of crime, his association with other admitted Sureño gang members, gang graffiti found in his bedroom and on his backyard fence, and the victim’s Norteño gang association.

Current Offense

At approximately 3:30 p.m. on an afternoon in January 2003, Robert Barrier and a neighbor child were putting newspapers in the backseat of a car in preparation for a paper route. Barrier heard gunfire coming from the comer. He looked and saw a brownish tan, light-colored, four-door “70 or something” car with three occupants between the ages of 17 to 20. Barrier was approximately 30 feet from the car as it passed him at about 25 to 35 miles per hour. The passenger side of the vehicle was toward Barrier, who ran to the curb and watched as the car turned the comer. Barrier saw the last one or two shots fired from a small handgun in the shooter’s hand, which was pointed straight up. The shooter was in the right front passenger seat and, after the last shot, he brought his arm back inside the car.

Barrier reported the shooting to Officer James Kelly. Barrier was able to describe the car, the position of the occupants, their clothing, and their approximate ages, but he had not seen their faces. Kelly broadcast the information.

Detective Lopez heard the broadcast and arrived in the area just west of the shooting, where he saw a brown, four-door Dodge Aries parked in the alley behind appellant’s home. Avelino Vasquez was standing near the car and, when he saw Detective Lopez, Vasquez walked into the backyard of appellant’s residence.

Detective Lopez saw appellant in the backyard and asked him to stop. Appellant looked at the officer and then ran toward the front of the house. Lopez jumped a fence and ran to the front yard. He announced the officers’ presence and stated he needed to talk to the people inside. When no one came out of the house, Lopez and other officers entered.

*651 Inside the residence, Lopez detained six individuals and arrested three of them. Appellant wore a dark blue, hooded, Nike brand sweatshirt and dark pants. Alberto Garcia wore a Nike brand sweatshirt, and Vasquez had on a blue hooded sweatshirt. Of the three others in the residence, who were not arrested, Andy Ramirez wore a dark blue shirt with a gray Raiders sweatshirt over the shoulder; Marcelino Ochoa wore a blue short-sleeved shirt, blue jeans, a blue belt and blue slippers; and appellant’s brother Bernardo wore a gray, hooded, Nike brand sweatshirt.

Using gang membership identification criteria, Detective Lopez testified to his opinion that, at the time of the shooting, appellant, Garcia, Vasquez, and Ochoa were all Sureño gang members. He did not think Ramirez, who was visiting Bernardo, was a gang associate or member; Bernardo was a gang associate through appellant, his brother, but was not yet a member.

Within a few minutes of the shooting, Officer Kelly took Barrier three and a half blocks to an alley where Barrier positively identified the vehicle. About 10 minutes after that, Officer Kelly showed Barrier three subjects from 30 to 40 feet away. By his clothing, which Barrier described as a hooded sweatshirt with a dark stripe, Barrier identified appellant as the shooter. Barrier also identified the driver, who bore a white stripe on his sleeve.

Detective Lopez was familiar with appellant’s home from prior contacts, and he knew which room was appellant’s bedroom.

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Bluebook (online)
22 Cal. Rptr. 3d 845, 125 Cal. App. 4th 646, 2005 Daily Journal DAR 153, 2005 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 120, 2005 Cal. App. LEXIS 8, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bautista-calctapp-2005.