People v. Apostolovic CA4/3

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In 2014, police officers were attempting to locate Apostolovic, who had an outstanding warrant for a firearm violation. They observed him driving an SUV and initiated a stop. Apostolovic briefly stopped, then backed up his SUV, changed gears, and rammed his SUV into the police car before driving off. With the police in pursuit, he raced through a residential neighborhood and reached speeds of around 50 miles per hour, which was

1 All undesignated statutory references are to the Penal Code.

2 well above the speed limit. He ran a red light and sped through several stop signs. He later admitted that he knew that “driving in such a matter [sic] [was] dangerous to human life.” After running a stop sign, Apostolovic’s SUV collided with a minivan at an intersection. A 12-year-old passenger in the minivan died in the collision. Her 13-year-old brother also suffered injuries. Meanwhile, though Apostolovic’s SUV flipped over in the collision and landed on its roof, Apostolovic exited the SUV through a window and fled on foot. He was later apprehended by police after attempting to hide in a stranger’s home. In 2017, Apostolovic pleaded guilty to murder (§ 187,…