People v. Garcia CA4/3

FACTS

April 25, 2009 Some time after midnight on April 25, 2009, A.P. parked her Honda Civic near her home in Garden Grove. As she opened her car door, A.P. heard and saw two men, later identified as defendant and Anthony Robles, walking toward her car. Robles walked to the passenger side of her car while defendant approached the driver’s side. Defendant grabbed her car door, thrust a pocketknife at her, and demanded she give him her car. He then directed A.P. to move to the passenger seat. Robles got into the back. Defendant got into the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove toward a nearby freeway. He grabbed A.P.’s cell phone and handed it to Robles. Robles removed the battery. Both men went through her purse. They grabbed $5, which was all the money A.P. had with her. She gave them her money because “they had a knife.” Defendant drove erratically and Robles told him to “chill out.” After a short time, defendant pulled the car over and A.P. took the wheel. Defendant continued to waive the knife in the air as she drove. A.P. asked the men why they were robbing her, and defendant told her they needed money to post bail for a jailed friend in Lake Elsinore. Later, defendant…