People v. Lacefield

68 Cal. Rptr. 3d 508, 157 Cal. App. 4th 249, 2007 Cal. App. LEXIS 1951
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 28, 2007
DocketB191217
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 68 Cal. Rptr. 3d 508 (People v. Lacefield) 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. Lacefield, 68 Cal. Rptr. 3d 508, 157 Cal. App. 4th 249, 2007 Cal. App. LEXIS 1951 (Cal. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

Opinion

FLIER, J.

Appellant Erick Darnell Lacefield was convicted of obstructing or resisting an executive officer in the performance of duty in violation of Penal Code section 69. 1 He was sentenced to the midterm of two years in prison, after the trial court struck a prior strike conviction. He contends that the trial court committed reversible error when it refused to instruct on section 148, subdivision (a)(1) (section 148(a)(1)), as a lesser included offense of section 69. Section 148(a)(1) punishes, as a misdemeanor, the crime of resisting, delaying, or obstructing a peace officer in the performance of duty. We find merit in the contention, because section 148(a)(1) sets forth two different types of offenses (In re Manuel G. (1997) 16 Cal.4th 805 [66 Cal.Rptr.2d 701, 941 P.2d 880] (Manuel G.)), and section 148(a)(1) is a lesser *252 included offense of the type of offense in section 69 on which the prosecution relied here. We further find that the error was prejudicial. We therefore reverse.

FACTS

1. Prosecution Evidence

Gardena Police Officers Mike Sargent, Matthew Hassoldt, William McReynolds, and Atanacio Jimenez testified for the prosecution. Around 11:00 p.m. on October 28, 2005, they responded to a disturbance call, along with about three other officers. According to the call, a person was standing outside of a bar, pointing a gun at passersby. That bar had been closed down in the past. Parolees sometimes lived in a hotel that was attached to it. There had been previous problems in that area with gangs, shootings, parole violations, domestic violence, and rock cocaine use.

When the officers arrived at the bar, they did not see anyone with a gun, but they saw an “out of control” situation that violated several provisions of the municipal code and Business and Professions Code. Loud music was coming from the bar’s open door. Approximately 50 people were standing in the parking lot drinking alcohol, laughing and talking. Numerous motorcycles were revving up their engines. As the officers approached, people ran into the bar leaving behind open containers of alcohol. The officers looked into the bar and saw that it was overcrowded. They decided to close it down and have everyone come outside.

People in the bar “were very upset” about being ordered to leave. Officer Sargent was posted outside, with his back to the backdoor, to stop people from reentering. Officers Hassoldt and Jimenez stood five or six feet away from Sargent. Officer McReynolds, who was a K-9 officer, was positioned on the sidewalk with his dog.

Appellant walked toward Sargent from outside the bar. Sargent thought appellant might have a weapon due to the nature of the area, the call about a gunman, and the fact appellant held his hands inside of his jacket pockets. At some point, he observed that appellant smelled strongly of alcohol. He told appellant that no one was allowed to reenter the bar. Appellant told Sargent, “You can’t stop me from going in there.” He continued toward the officer, ignoring commands to stop. Sargent put his right hand against appellant’s chest and tensed it. Appellant slapped Sargent’s hand off his chest and continued walking toward him.

*253 Sargent thought that appellant intended either to assault him again or to try to reenter the bar. Using the palms of his hands, he pushed appellant in the chest, which caused appellant to take “a few steps back.” Appellant brought his arms to his sides, clenched his fists, and ducked his head down as if preparing to charge. Sargent put his hands and forearms on appellant’s back and shoulders. Appellant lunged at Sargent and reached for his legs trying to tackle him. Sargent stepped to the side and kneed appellant in the face. Appellant fell to the ground facedown. Sargent fell down on top of him.

As appellant and Sargent struggled on the ground, Officers Hassoldt and Jimenez came to Sargent’s assistance. Appellant flailed his body, struggled to raise himself from the ground, and ignored commands to stop resisting. At some point, Sargent kneed appellant in the face and Jimenez put his knee into appellant’s back. Meanwhile, Officer McReynolds and his dog prevented the hostile crowd of people from approaching.

After one or two minutes, appellant was handcuffed and arrested. He did not have a weapon. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred. Before he was booked, he received treatment at a medical clinic for a swollen and abraded eye.

Sargent specifically testified that appellant’s actions deterred him from performing his duty as a police officer, because when he was supposed to be guarding the door, he had to wrestle appellant to the ground.

2. Defense Evidence

Three defense witnesses gave different versions of the incident.

Neilson Williams testified that he stepped outside the door of the bar when instructed to do so. An officer grabbed him by the shirt at chest level and told him to stay where he was. Williams asked the officer why his shirt had been grabbed. Appellant “kind of casually” approached. The officer rushed toward appellant, grabbed him, wrestled with him, and hit him with a baton. Once appellant was on the ground, other officers hit him with batons and kicked him. Williams never saw appellant slap at, charge, or grab any officer.

Yvette Todaro, the owner of the bar, testified that she was talking to an officer outside the bar after the police closed it down. She noticed appellant standing at the doorway about six feet away. She did not see him hit or push an officer. She saw an officer stand in front of him and saw him fall to the ground with the officer, but did not see what happened between them before they fell.

*254 Marcus Bell testified that he was standing outside the bar when the officers arrived. 2 He saw appellant arrive, after the officers had ordered everyone to leave the bar. An officer pushed Williams, who told the officer not to put his hands on him. Appellant walked up and politely asked the officer if he could enter. The officer told appellant that no one was going inside. Appellant said, “Why can’t nobody go in the club? We ain’t gotta leave.” The officer pushed appellant twice. Appellant held his hands out as he said, “What you doing? What you doing?” The second push caused him to fall to the ground. When he was on the ground, more officers assisted the first officer in holding him there. One officer held his knee in appellant’s neck, another held his legs, and another punched him in the face, five or six times.

3. Prosecution Rebuttal Evidence

Sargent testified that none of the officers used batons, and appellant was the only person he touched.

DISCUSSION

1. The Relationship Between Sections 69 and 148(a)(1)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
68 Cal. Rptr. 3d 508, 157 Cal. App. 4th 249, 2007 Cal. App. LEXIS 1951, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-lacefield-calctapp-2007.