People v. Granados CA4/3

DISCUSSION

I.

MOTION TO SUPPRESS

A. Standard of Review On appeal from a ruling on a motion to suppress evidence, we defer to the trial court’s factual findings, so long as they are supported by substantial evidence. (People v. Flores (2024) 15 Cal.5th 1032, 1043.) We independently review whether, on those facts, the seizure violated Granados’s rights under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution. (Id. at p. 1043.)

1 The minute order erroneously states that count 4 was the primary count for sentencing purposes. This discrepancy does not affect any issues on appeal.

3 2 B. Factual Background Detectives Buchanan and Sanchez of the Santa Ana Police Department were on duty in a marked patrol car at about 8:00 p.m. on February 5, 2021. They saw a black, four-door Nissan driving northbound on Harbor Boulevard; it had heavy tinting on the front windows and did not appear to have a front license plate. The officers intended to conduct a traffic stop for these violations, but the vehicle turned off Harbor Boulevard and out of their sight. When they turned onto a residential street, the officers saw the vehicle, parked and unoccupied. Unable to effect the intended traffic…