The People v. Ribera CA4/3

California Court of Appeal·Decided September 27, 2013·No. G047383·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed 9/27/13 P. v. Ribera CA4/3

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or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 This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

FOURTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION THREE

THE PEOPLE,

Plaintiff and Respondent, G047383

v. (Super. Ct. No. 10SF0609)

LUIS ANGELEO CESPEDES RIBERA OPINION and EFREN IZQUIERDO,

Defendants and Appellants.

Appeals from judgments of the Superior Court of Orange County, Carla Singer, Judge. Affirmed as modified as to Luis Angeleo Cespedes Ribera. Affirmed as to Efren Izquierdo.

Richard Power, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Luis Angeleo Cespedes Ribera.

Patrick J. Hennessey, Jr., under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant Efren Izquierdo.

Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, Dane R. Gillette, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Julie L. Garland, Assistant Attorney General, Theodore Cropley and Randall D. Einhorn, Deputy Attorneys General, for Plaintiff and Respondent.

* * *

INTRODUCTION

Defendants Luis Angeleo Cespedes Ribera and Efren Izquierdo were convicted of conspiracy to carjack a vehicle, robbery, and street terrorism. On appeal, Ribera and Izquierdo raise several arguments challenging their convictions. Finding no merit in any of those arguments, we affirm the judgment as modified, to correct two clerical errors, as to Ribera, and we affirm the judgment as to Izquierdo.

First, both Ribera and Izquierdo argue there was not sufficient evidence to support the conviction for conspiracy to carjack. We conclude that the evidence and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from that evidence were more than sufficient. Second, Ribera argues there was not sufficient evidence to support his conviction for robbery. However, circumstantial evidence supports the jury‟s finding that Ribera was guilty of robbery as an aider and abettor.

Third, Ribera and Izquierdo argue the trial court erred by overruling their objections to opinion testimony by the prosecution‟s gang expert. Under recent California Supreme Court authority, the gang expert properly testified that if the actions were performed in the manner described in a hypothetical question, those actions would be gang related. Finally, we find no error in the jury instructions.

STATEMENT OF FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY On July 4, 2010, two brothers, Alejandro Lopez and Eloy Inclan, planned to drive from their apartment in Laguna Hills to watch fireworks in San Clemente. About 6:30 p.m., Inclan arrived home and parked his Cadillac Deville in his assigned spot in the apartment parking lot.1 Lopez and Inclan then got in Lopez‟s father‟s Toyota Corolla,

1 Inclan‟s Cadillac was “tricked out”; someone had tried to break into it two weeks before this incident.

which was parked in the same parking lot. Lopez and Inclan noticed two juvenile males standing nearby; the juveniles appeared to be watching them.

As Lopez drove past the juveniles, they whistled loudly at Lopez and Inclan. Lopez stopped the car. The juveniles walked up to the driver‟s side window and asked Lopez where he was from. When Lopez did not reply, the juveniles asked Lopez if he “banged.” Lopez said he did not. One of the juveniles asked Lopez if he lived in the apartment complex. Lopez replied that he lived there, but he did not “bang.” When Lopez said he was going to visit his family in San Clemente, one of the juveniles asked, “oh, you are from San Clemente?” Lopez responded that he was not from San Clemente, and the juvenile asked why he was “ranking out.” Lopez and Inclan both stated they were not from any gang.

One of the juveniles said they were from the Family Mob gang, and claimed to control the Via Lomas apartment complex. He also said the Family Mob gang did not get along with San Clemente. Lopez reiterated that he just lived in the apartment complex and did not have problems with anyone. The juvenile continued to ask Lopez why he was “ranking out” and if he was scared.

At that point, a black Toyota Tundra pulled up next to the Corolla; Ribera was driving, Izquierdo was in the front passenger seat, and another male was in the back. All three got out of the Tundra. The juvenile who had been questioning Lopez told the new arrivals that Lopez and Inclan were from San Clemente. When Ribera and Izquierdo asked if Lopez and Inclan were from San Clemente, Lopez said, “no,” explained they lived in the Via Lomas apartment complex, and said again that they did not want any problems. Inclan said they were going to San Clemente, but they did not “bang.” One of the juveniles told Ribera and Izquierdo that Lopez was “ranking” and asked if he should do something about it. Izquierdo replied, “yeah, go for it.”

The two juveniles opened the driver‟s side door of the Corolla and began punching Lopez. They could not pull him out of the car because he had his seatbelt on.

Ribera and Izquierdo opened the passenger side door and struggled with Inclan. As Izquierdo tried to take Inclan‟s keys, which were in his lap, Izquierdo tore the key fob for Inclan‟s Cadillac from the key chain; Izquierdo was not able to take the keys themselves from Inclan.

Lopez stepped on the gas and drove away while Inclan called 911. The Tundra followed them. When Lopez stopped at a traffic light, the Tundra pulled up alongside the Corolla. Ribera, Izquierdo, and the other male in the Tundra got out and approached the Corolla; Izquierdo flashed gang signs. Lopez saw several police vehicles at a nearby restaurant, so he drove over and explained to the officers what had happened. The police pursued and stopped the Tundra. The key fob from the Cadillac, which Izquierdo had taken from Inclan during the initial encounter, was found on the front passenger seat of the Tundra.

Ribera and Izquierdo were charged with conspiracy to commit carjacking of the Cadillac (Pen. Code, §§ 182, subd. (a)(1), 215, subd. (a)) (count 1); attempted carjacking of the Corolla (id., §§ 664, subd. (a), 215, subd. (a)) (count 2); second degree robbery of the Cadillac‟s key fob (id., §§ 211, 212.5, subd. (c)) (count 3); and street terrorism (id., § 186.22, subd. (a)) (count 4). The information alleged, as a sentencing enhancement, that counts 1, 2, and 3 were committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang. (Id., § 186.22, subd. (b)(1).) It also alleged that Ribera was out on bail in a different case at the time these crimes were committed. (Id., § 12022.1, subd. (b).) A jury convicted Ribera and Izquierdo on counts 1, 3, and 4, and found the gang sentencing enhancement true on counts 1 and 3. The jury found Ribera and Izquierdo not guilty on count 2. In a bifurcated proceeding, the trial court found the out-on-bail sentencing enhancement against Ribera to be true.

The trial court sentenced Izquierdo to 13 years in prison; Izquierdo received the midterm of three years on count 3, plus a consecutive 10-year term on the gang enhancement attendant to count 3. Sentences on counts 1 and 4 were imposed, and

execution of those sentences was stayed. (Pen. Code, § 654.) The court sentenced Ribera to 17 years in prison; Ribera received the upper term of five years on count 3, plus a consecutive 10-year term for the attendant gang sentencing enhancement, and a consecutive two-year term for the out-on-bail enhancement. As with Izquierdo, the sentences on counts 1 and 4 were imposed and execution of those sentences was stayed. Both Ribera and Izquierdo timely appealed.

DISCUSSION

I.

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