People v. Sandoval CA6

I. BACKGROUND

A. The Offenses In the early morning of July 2, 2005, Sandoval was at a nightclub with three companions. The four had a violent confrontation with a group of bouncers that escalated into a knife attack on the bouncers. One bouncer, Dario Arriola, died, and two others were seriously injured. Before the fight began, the bouncers had several repeated tense interactions with Sandoval in the club, as they asked him to keep on his shirt—which, importantly, was red—under the club dress code. In addition, Sandoval tried to dance with a woman, but she rebuffed him. After closing, Arriola, who was close with the woman, hugged and kissed her outside the club, near Sandoval. Sandoval asked the woman, “why are you with that punk?” As the club staff and patrons were leaving the parking lot, Sandoval’s group attacked the bouncers. The bouncers fought back, and one knocked Sandoval down. In response, Sandoval took off his shoe, and someone yelled that he had a knife. Sandoval’s group then chased the bouncers, sequentially isolating and attacking Arriola and two other bouncers. Arriola suffered six knife wounds, including a four-inch stab to the chest that punctured his aorta. On a…