People v. Younger CA1/4

BACKGROUND

On the evening of June 18, 2021, Concord police officer Wayne Leonard responded to a call of a fight at a gas station convenience store. Doubrava was lying down, bleeding from a two-inch gash in his lower abdomen. Doubrava told Leonard that he was going to the convenience store when Younger and Hughes asked him for money. Doubrava pointed to Younger’s shoes and questioned why the two were asking for change, implying that they did not look like they needed money. Hughes asked Doubrava, “Do you have a fucking problem?” As described by Leonard, the surveillance footage showed that Doubrava was “the first to square up.” He was walking toward the storefront when he stopped, turned, and approached Hughes and Younger while making fists. He then “rush[ed] past” them and went around the corner of the store. Hughes believed Doubrava was trying to lure him and Younger out of sight of the security camera to fight them. Doubrava was also threatening and verbally challenging Hughes and Younger to fight. At some point, Hughes swung a traffic cone at Doubrava; the first physical contact shown on the footage occurred when Hughes punched Doubrava.

2 After the three returned to the…