People v. Sims CA2/6

FACTS

On May 21, 2012, at about 7:45 p.m., Los Angeles police officers Jonathan Vander Lee, Justin Chi and Manuel Moreno were in a marked patrol car in the Nickerson Garden Projects. The officers saw Sims speaking to an older African-American man. The men looked at the patrol car, immediately stepped back and began to walk away toward a courtyard behind a building. Officers Chi and Vander Lee left the patrol car and walked to where they could see the men. They saw the older man hand Sims something. Sims put the object in his right pocket. Then Sims gave the older man something from his left hand. The officers formed the opinion that they had seen a drug transaction. There were no other people around. The officers began walking toward the men. The men looked in the officers' direction. Vander Lee told them to stop. The older man put the object he had received from Sims in his mouth and began walking quickly southbound. Sims began running northbound. Vander Lee and Chi chased Sims. While fleeing, Sims fell as he stepped off a curb. As he fell, he dropped a baggie he had been holding in his left hand. Vander Lee arrested Sims while Chi recovered the baggie. The baggie contained…