State v. Clark

589 So. 2d 549, 1991 WL 226470
Louisiana Court of Appeal·Decided October 18, 1991·No. KA 90 1213·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

589 So.2d 549 (1991)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Alexander CLARK.

No. KA 90 1213.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

October 18, 1991.
Writ Denied February 21, 1992.

*550 Anthony Marabello, Baton Rouge, for defendant/appellant.

Duncan Kemp, Office of Dist. Atty., Livingston Parish, Livingston, for plaintiff.

Before COVINGTON, C.J., and SAVOIE and LeBLANC, JJ.

LeBLANC, Judge.

Alexander Clark was charged by separate bills of information with attempted first degree murder, a violation of La.R.S. 14:30(2) and 14:27, and with public intimidation, a violation of La.R.S. 14:122. He pled not guilty to both charges and received a consolidated trial by jury. After the jury trial, defendant was found guilty of aggravated battery (responsive verdict to attempted first degree murder), a violation of La.R.S. 14:34, and public intimidation. Defendant was sentenced to ten years at hard labor for the aggravated battery conviction and five years at hard labor for the public intimidation conviction; these sentences to run concurrently. Defendant appealed, urging five assignments of error as follows:

1. The trial court erred in accepting the verdict of guilty of public intimidation because there was insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict.
2. The trial court erred in accepting the verdict of guilty of aggravated battery because there was insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict.
3. The trial court erred in finding the defendant guilty of aggravated battery and public intimidation of a police officer because the same evidence *551 was used for both convictions and violated the prohibition against double jeopardy contained in the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution and in Article I, § 15 of the Louisiana Constitution (1974).
4. The trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury that even in the event of a lawful arrest, if a police officer uses excessive force, the person being arrested has the right to resist that force.
5. The trial court erred in imposing an excessive sentence.

Assignments of error numbers four and five were not briefed; therefore, they are considered abandoned. Uniform Rules-Courts of Appeal, Rule 2-12.4.

FACTS

On June 12, 1988, Walker Police Officer Kevin Devall was on patrol in his police unit when he observed a vehicle, driven by defendant, speeding on Highway 190. Officer Devall, using radar, clocked defendant's vehicle traveling 69 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. Devall pursued defendant's vehicle, which stopped at a red traffic signal on Highway 190 at the intersection of Burgess Avenue. Devall radioed the Town of Livingston Police to advise that he was going to make a traffic stop and relayed the license plate number and description of the automobile he was stopping. Before Devall could exit his vehicle, the traffic signal changed to green and defendant's vehicle turned and continued traveling. Devall turned on his unit's flashing lights, pursued defendant's vehicle and radioed the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office to send a backup unit. Finally, defendant's vehicle stopped; the officer exited his vehicle and ordered defendant to step out of his vehicle. Defendant approached the police unit and refused to give Officer Devall his driver's license. A passenger in defendant's vehicle left that vehicle and stated that he did not want trouble and wanted to leave. Devall ordered this man to "go down the road" and to not come back. As Devall was talking to the passenger, defendant threw his driver's license on the hood of the police vehicle, ran back to his automobile and sped off. Officer Devall returned to his vehicle and chased defendant. Officer Randy Dufrene, a Town of Livingston police officer, attempted to set up a roadblock with his vehicle; however, defendant attempted to hit Officer Dufrene's vehicle and then passed the officer. Defendant proceeded to his brother's residence on Clark Street. Once there, defendant ran from his vehicle and started beating on the door.

Officer Devall arrived only seconds after defendant and advised him he was under arrest, to which defendant responded with obscenities. Officer Dufrene then arrived at the house, advised defendant he was under arrest, and tried to grab defendant and subdue him. Defendant fought with Officer Dufrene. Trooper Long arrived and again told defendant he was under arrest; defendant punched Long in the face and chest two to three times. Trooper Long then attempted to use his flashlight to hit defendant's arms to subdue him, but defendant grabbed the flashlight and started swinging it at all of the officers. At this point, Trooper Long drew his gun and pointed it at defendant, ordering him to drop the flashlight. Long intended to shoot defendant at that point.

Defendant dropped the flashlight, grabbed Long's gun and shoved the barrel into Long's stomach. The trooper and defendant struggled for control of the gun. Trooper Long felt defendant searching for and trying to pull the trigger to discharge the gun into Long's stomach. Finally, after being struck by the other officers several times, defendant released the weapon. Defendant was handcuffed and placed in the police unit.

SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE

By assignment of error number two, defendant contends that there was insufficient evidence to sustain the verdict for the aggravated battery conviction. Specifically, he argues that the trial court erred in accepting the responsive verdict of aggravated battery.

*552 We note that, in order to challenge a conviction on the basis of insufficiency of the evidence, defendant should proceed by way of a motion for a post-verdict judgment of acquittal. See La.C.Cr.P. art. 821 A; State v. Abrams, 527 So.2d 1057, 1059 (La.App. 1st Cir.1988). Nevertheless, we will consider a claim of insufficiency of the evidence which has been briefed pursuant to a formal assignment of error. State v. Abrams, 527 So.2d at 1059.

The standard of review for the sufficiency of the evidence is whether or not, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, a rational trier of fact could conclude that the state proved the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. See La.C.Cr.P. art. 821; State v. Captville, 448 So.2d 676, 678 (La. 1984); State v. Abrams, 527 So.2d at 1059.

Relying on the analysis in State ex rel. Elaire v. Blackburn, 424 So.2d 246, 252 (La.1982), cert. denied, 461 U.S. 959, 103 S.Ct. 2432, 77 L.Ed.2d 1318 (1983), defendant argues that the evidence produced at trial was not sufficient to sustain a conviction of the greater offense of attempted first degree murder. Defendant argues that there was no intent to inflict great bodily harm on Trooper Long because he only sought "to protect himself against the bodily harm that he was receiving at the hands of the three police officers."

Aggravated battery is a statutory responsive verdict to a charge of attempted first degree murder. La.C.Cr.P. art. 814 A(2). Upon motion of the state or the defense, the trial court, in its discretion, may exclude a listed responsive verdict, if, after all the evidence has been submitted, there is no evidence to establish that responsive verdict. La.C.Cr.P. art. 814 C.

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State v. Clark, 589 So. 2d 549, 1991 WL 226470 (La. Ct. App. 1991).

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