People v. Diaz CA4/1

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 28, 2022
DocketD078614
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Diaz CA4/1 (People v. Diaz CA4/1) 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. Diaz CA4/1, (Cal. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed 4/28/22 P. v. Diaz CA4/1 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION ONE

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

THE PEOPLE, D078614

Plaintiff and Respondent,

v. (Super. Ct. No. SCD283828) ADRIAN DIAZ,

Defendant and Appellant.

APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County, David M. Rubin, Judge. Affirmed as modified. Denise M. Rudasill, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. Rob Bonta, Attorney General, Lance E. Winters, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Melissa A. Mandel, Assistant Attorney General, Joseph C. Anagnos, Deputy Attorney General for Plaintiff and Respondent. An information charged defendant Adrian Diaz with robbery (Pen.

Code, § 211—count 1)1 and assault with a deadly weapon (a knife) (§ 245, subd. (a)(1)—count 2). The information alleged Diaz, in committing these offenses, personally used a deadly and dangerous weapon (§ 1192.7, subd. (c)(23)); and personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim, not an accomplice (§§ 12022.7, subd. (a), 1192.7, subd. (c)(8)). The jury found Diaz not guilty on count 1 and guilty on count 2, and found true the two enhancements. Diaz admitted the truth of the allegation that he previously had been convicted of making a criminal threat (§ 422), which was both a strike prior (§§ 667, subds. (b)-(i), 668, 1170.12) and a serious felony prior (§§ 667, subd. (a)(1), 668, 1192.7, subd. (c)(38)). The trial court sentenced Diaz to nine years in prison: the middle term of three years on count 2, doubled to six years due to the strike prior; and an additional three years to run consecutive on the great bodily injury enhancement. On appeal, Diaz contends: (1) the trial court erred in giving the “mutual combat” self-defense instruction because there was no substantial evidence of mutuality; (2) the prosecutor erred in her remarks during closing argument; (3) the errors were cumulative and prevented him from receiving a fair trial; and (4) the $154 criminal justice administration fee should be vacated as a result of the recent passage of Assembly Bill No. 1869 (former Gov. Code, § 29550 et seq.). As we explain, we agree as of July 1, 2021, any unpaid balance of the criminal justice administration fee should be vacated and, as the People point out in their brief, certain corrections should be made to the abstract of judgment. In all other respects the judgment is affirmed.

1 All further statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated.

2 FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Prosecution Evidence Victim James M. testified he rode an electric scooter he owned to a Mexican restaurant at about 10:00 p.m. on October 24, 2019. The scooter was similar to those that are seen in the “streets of San Diego” that riders can use through a ride-sharing “App.” When he arrived at the restaurant, James saw three men outside “conversing.” One of the men was sitting on the ground, whom James identified at trial as Diaz. James observed two bicycles and two backpacks near the men. James assumed the men were “homeless,” as he was familiar with the area and knew it was popular with transients. James had never seen any of the men before that night. James took his scooter inside the restaurant. After ordering food, the cashier directed him to take the scooter outside. James complied, parking the scooter right outside the entrance of the restaurant. James next used the bathroom inside the restaurant. Immediately thereafter, he checked on his scooter and saw one of the three men at the edge of the parking lot running with the scooter “into the darkness.” James yelled at the man, “That’s my scooter,” but the man kept going. James saw the man who had been sitting on the ground (i.e., Diaz) quickly jump up and get into James’s “personal space,” coming within about six inches of him. With a “smirk,” Diaz told James, “ ‘It’s not your scooter,’ ” and blocked James’s path as James contemplated chasing after the man. James repeated it was his scooter and stated he was going to call the police. “Shaken” and “upset” by the events, James picked up one of the bicycles on the ground and said, “ ‘I am going to hold onto this until the police get here,’ ” as he believed all three men were involved in the theft.

3 Diaz yelled a name and the other man, whom James had seen when he first came to the restaurant, came out of the restaurant “irate” and stood about two feet away from James. At the direction of the men, James let go of the bicycle and put his “hands up.” James then heard the other man say, “ ‘Now you’re going to get it’ ” as Diaz and the other man “came at [James].” James told the jury, “[B]efore I could blink,” Diaz “pulled out a knife from his pocket and cut my arm, stabbed my arm.” Other than saying he was going to call the police, James testified he had not threatened any of the three men, had not “balled up” his fists as if he wanted to fight, and had no weapon. James described the knife as having about a six-inch blade. James was stabbed in his left bicep, which injury required 17 stiches to close and which left a scar. After being stabbed by Diaz, James went to the entrance of the restaurant and yelled, “ ‘Please call 911.’ ” James then told the two remaining men, “ ‘You guys aren’t leaving. I am calling the police.’ ” James picked up Diaz’s backpack and threw it across the parking lot. The other man in response yelled, “ ‘Now you’re really going to get it.’ ” James saw both men “square[ ] up” to him as if they were all in a “boxing ring,” and the men began punching James. “[S]cared” and “fighting for [his] life,” James fought back, kicking and punching at the two men. The two men at some point stopped fighting and collected their belongings, as James heard sirens. Shortly thereafter, at the request of officers, James identified Diaz as the one who had stabbed him with the knife. On cross-examination, James denied he started the confrontation with Diaz and the other man. James also denied being “mad” that his scooter was

4 taken, but instead stated he was just “upset.” James stated the only threat he made to the two men was that he was “going to call the police.” Also during cross-examination, the jury was shown a video of an interview with James immediately after the incident, recorded by the body- worn camera of San Diego Police Officer Aaron Merris. A transcript of the video was included in the appellate record. The transcript corroborates much of James’s trial testimony. James told the officer that one of three men in front of the restaurant had stolen his scooter and James in response grabbed a bicycle belonging to one of the remaining men to “get an answer” about its whereabouts, which he admitted had been a mistake; that the other two men “thought it was big joke” and “wanted to fight over it”; and that James “was just trying to defend [himself].” James estimated the entire incident lasted about three or four minutes. Officer Merris treated James’s stab wound until paramedics arrived. April D. was the cashier at the restaurant and was the individual who called 911 to report the incident. The audio of her 911 call was played for the jury, and a transcript of the call was included in the appellate record. April informed the 911 operator that there was a fight outside the restaurant and it was “three against one”; that the three were “really hitting” the one and it was “bad” for that man; and that police needed to hurry. April told the jury she heard the men arguing about a scooter.

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People v. Diaz CA4/1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-diaz-ca41-calctapp-2022.