Shaw

Opinion of the Court by Kruger, J.

The Three Strikes law increases sentences for felony defendants who have previously been convicted of one or more “serious or violent” felonies, commonly referred to as “strikes.” (See Pen. Code, §§ 667, subds. (b)–(i), 1170.12.) This case concerns how to count the number of strikes when a single criminal act has resulted in multiple prior felony convictions. In People v. Vargas (2014) 59 Cal.4th 635 (Vargas), we held that two prior convictions arising out of a single act against a single victim may not be treated as two strikes for purposes of Three Strikes sentencing. In this case, we address a closely related question: May a single act that harms two victims be treated as two strikes for purposes of Three Strikes sentencing? Again, the answer is no. I. In December 2020, officers found defendant Troy Lee Shaw unconscious behind the wheel of a car that was stopped in the middle of the road with its engine running. Though Shaw declined to complete any field sobriety tests, he admitted he had taken methamphetamine earlier that day. Officers observed that his gait was unsteady, his eyes were droopy, and his pupils were constricted. They searched…