People v. Jones CA2/5

FACTS

Circumstances of Defendant’s Arrest4

On the morning of March 15, 2011, a witness reported observing defendant masturbating in a grocery store parking lot. Los Angeles Police Officers Pelczar and Mateus responded to the scene in a marked police car. Officer Pelczar was in uniform. The officers spotted defendant, who matched the description the witness had given, driving a car consistent with the vehicle the witness had described. When the officers began to follow him, defendant accelerated to a speed of 20-30 miles per hour in disregard of the safety of people walking in the parking lot. Defendant stopped his vehicle facing the officers, who activated the patrol car’s lights and sirens. Officer Pelczar got out of the patrol car, made eye contact with defendant, and yelled for him to stop. In response, defendant put his car in reverse and left the parking lot. He accelerated to approximately 50 miles per hour, ran a red light, and abandoned his vehicle in an alley. He was found in a crawlspace. The witness identified defendant as the man who had been masturbating.

4Because defendant entered pleas of no contest, the facts are drawn from the preliminary hearing transcript.

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