People v. Sanchez CA4/2

BACKGROUND

Late in the evening of February 27 and into the early morning of February 28,

2021, over a 100 people were partying in the Santa Ana River bottom. This included a

group of friends composed of A. Saucedo, E. Cabrera, D. Ortiz, R. Saldana, and

M. Rosas (sometimes referred to as M. Lopez). In another group was I. Almanza, who

was there with her then boyfriend, Sanchez. Rosas and Almanza knew each other

because they had attended the same high school, and also because a year prior Rosas’s

then-girlfriend and Almanza fought each other.

As the first group was leaving, they passed Almanza and someone they believed

was her boyfriend—whom some members of the group later identified as Sanchez.

Almanza insulted Rosas. Rosas kept walking, but Sanchez followed, asking Rosas how

he knew Almanza. Sanchez challenged Rosas to fight, but Rosas declined. Sanchez then

called over another, larger man. The larger man put Rosas into a headlock, but Rosas

was able to get out of it.

1 People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende); Anders v. California (1967) 386 U.S. 738 (Anders).

2 Most of Rosas’s group continued towards Cabrera’s car, but Saldana went to his

motorcycle. When…