State v. Mann

237 P.3d 966
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided August 12, 2010·No. 27317-2-III·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

237 P.3d 966 (2010)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
Jason L. MANN, Appellant.

No. 27317-2-III.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 3.

August 12, 2010.

*968 Cece Lana Glenn, Attorney at Law, Spokane, WA, for Appellant.

Mark Erik Lindsey, Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney, Spokane, WA, for Respondent.

KULIK, C.J.

¶ 1 Jason Mann, a passenger in a car stopped for a traffic violation, jumped out of the car and ran away carrying a gun in his hand. He did not stop when the patrol officer told him to do so. Later, a backup officer followed Mr. Mann's footprints and found him in a backyard. The two exchanged gunfire. Mr. Mann was wounded and gave up. A jury found him guilty of first degree assault, second degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and a dangerous weapon violation. The jury returned a special verdict finding that the first degree assault was aggravated because Mr. Mann committed the offense against a law enforcement officer acting in his official capacity at the time of the offense, and that Mr. Mann knew or should have known the victim was a law enforcement officer.

¶ 2 Mr. Mann appeals his convictions and the special verdict finding aggravation. For the first time on appeal, he asserts that the officers did not have the authority to seize him, and he argues that all evidence of the shooting should have been suppressed. He also contends that the evidence was insufficient to convict, and that the trial court erred by finding that his sentence was clearly too lenient considering the additional time added by the special finding of aggravation.

*969 ¶ 3 We review a claim of error raised for the first time on appeal only where the issue involves a manifest error affecting a constitutional right. Manifest error requires a showing of actual prejudice. State v. McFarland, 127 Wash.2d 322, 333, 899 P.2d 1251 (1995); RAP 2.5(a)(3). Because we conclude that the evidence of the shooting would not have been suppressed, no manifest error can be shown by Mr. Mann.

¶ 4 Accordingly, we affirm the convictions, the special finding of aggravation, and the sentence.

FACTS

¶ 5 On December 28, 2007, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Deputy Tyler Smith stopped a vehicle for changing lanes without signaling. The vehicle pulled into a gas station and before it came to a complete stop, a man, later identified as Jason Mann, jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle and started running away. Deputy Smith told Mr. Mann to stop, but Mr. Mann did not comply. After Mr. Mann ran away, Deputy Smith put out a description of Mr. Mann and waited for backup.

¶ 6 Later, Deputy Jeff Thurman arrived as backup for Deputy Smith. He wore his sheriff's uniform with a sheriff's patch on his sleeve. A sheriff's star and Deputy Thurman's name were on the front, and block letters spelling "sheriff" were on the back. Report of Proceedings (RP) at 72.

¶ 7 Because it was snowing, Mr. Mann left footprints in the snow as he ran away. Deputy Thurman followed these footprints south on Thor and through an alley and eventually to a backyard at 320 South Ferrall.

¶ 8 Deputy Thurman entered the yard with his .45 Glock drawn. He could not see Mr. Mann because of debris in the yard. Deputy Thurman yelled, "Police. Come out." RP at 87. After yelling, Deputy Thurman observed a hand holding a handgun come out from behind a piece of plywood at the southeast portion of the yard. Deputy Thurman yelled to drop the gun. The hand turned toward him. Deputy Thurman shot in the direction of the hand so he could retreat and take cover in the northeast corner of the yard behind a tree. Deputy Thurman testified that the entire time he was yelling, "Show me your hands. Come out. Police." RP at 92.

¶ 9 Mr. Mann indicated he was giving up and coming out. Deputy Thurman testified that as Mr. Mann was crawling out from his cover and saying he was giving up, he fired his gun at Deputy Thurman. Deputy Thurman immediately started shooting at Mr. Mann, while keeping cover behind the tree. Eventually, Mr. Mann put up his hands, gave up, and was arrested. In a search following Mr. Mann's arrest, an officer found brass knuckles, a knife, .380 ammunition for Mr. Mann's pistol, and cartridges.

¶ 10 At trial, Mr. Mann admitted to running away from the traffic stop with the pistol in his hand because the safety on the pistol did not work and he did not believe it would be safe to run with the pistol in his pocket. He stated that he was running away because he had an outstanding warrant and he did not want to go to jail that night. Mr. Mann stated that he hid behind a piece of plywood in the yard. He heard someone enter the yard and that he did not know for sure who it was, but he "pretty much guessed it was the police." RP at 399. Mr. Mann testified that Deputy Thurman never identified himself as the police.

¶ 11 Mr. Mann denied pointing the gun or shooting at Deputy Thurman. Mr. Mann testified that he heard the person in the yard tell him to come out, and then he heard gunshots and felt them hit him. At that point, Mr. Mann testified that he threw his gun down, lay down on the ground, and surrendered.

¶ 12 Mr. Mann admitted to having a knife, brass knuckles, and methamphetamine. Mr. Mann testified that the gun must have discharged when he threw it on the ground.

¶ 13 When detectives processed the scene, they found two expended .380 caliber casings. One .380 bullet was recovered from a mattress that was leaning up against the tree in the northeast corner of the yard. The bullet's trajectory through the mattress was horizontal at approximately 16 inches off the ground.

*970 ¶ 14 The crime laboratory tested the pistol and found that the safety on the gun was inoperable and, therefore, the gun could fire whether the safety was on or off. Tests from the crime laboratory concluded that the .380 casings and bullet that were recovered from the scene were fired from the pistol. The pistol did not accidentally discharge at any point during testing at the crime laboratory.

¶ 15 A jury found Mr. Mann guilty of first degree assault, second degree unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance—methamphetamine, and a dangerous weapon violation. The jury returned a special verdict finding that the first degree assault was aggravated because Mr. Mann committed the offense against a law enforcement officer acting in his official capacity at the time of the offense, and that Mr. Mann knew or should have known the victim was a law enforcement officer.

¶ 16 The trial court sentenced Mr. Mann to the high end of the standard sentencing range on the assault conviction for his offender score of 7, which was 236 months. The trial court imposed 48 months for the aggravating circumstance and, with the mandatory 60-month deadly weapon enhancement, Mr. Mann's total sentence on the assault conviction was 344 months.

¶ 17 Mr. Mann appeals, asserting: (1) the deputies did not have the authority to order Mr. Mann, a passenger, to remain at the scene of the traffic stop, (2) the State presented insufficient evidence to support first degree assault, (3) the State presented insufficient evidence to support the aggravating circumstance, and (4) the trial court erred by imposing an exceptional sentence that was clearly excessive.

ANALYSIS

¶ 18 Traffic Stop. Mr. Mann, a passenger, asserts he was unlawfully seized when Deputy Smith ordered him to stop as he ran from a traffic stop. Mr.

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