People v. Williams CA2/6

FACTS

The CVS Incident (January 2023) (Count 2) Blake Kiriakidis was the shift supervisor at CVS. The store has a policy of giving shoplifters a chance to purchase the items. Employees are not allowed to “physically engage with them.” Kiriakidis saw Williams put a jacket under his shirt. He asked Williams to return the item; Williams walked away. Kiriakidis touched the jacket. Williams kicked him in the arm causing his coffee cup to fly over an aisle. He asked Williams to leave the store. Williams challenged him “to a fight” and said “Fight me, bitch.” He repeated that phrase 5 to 10 times. Williams “pursued” Kiriakidis, “throwing punches and kicking in the air.” Williams threw punches at him 10 to 20 times. Kiriakidis called 911. Williams tried to grab the phone from him. Williams became “violent,” he tried to kick and punch him, and he told Kiriakidis to “get off the phone.” Williams left the store. He walked 200 to 300 feet to another business. He then returned to the outside of the CVS store to return the jacket. Kiriakidis told him to leave the jacket on a bench. Williams walked away. He was arrested in front of Vons market. Williams testified that he did not punch…