People v. Valencia CA2/2

FACTS

Defendant was tried along with codefendants Juan Villegas and Fernando Rosales for a shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of September 18, 2012. Before the shooting, Villegas and Rosales were in a red Ford Aerostar van in the area of Western Avenue and Florence Avenue near a Burger Palace restaurant. Rosales approached Jerrek Wooden and Kameyah Simms and offered Simms $20 for sexual favors. Simms handed the money to Wooden. After talking to Rosales, Simms left with Wooden and did not provide any services to Rosales. Villegas and Rosales began following Wooden and Simms. Eventually Wooden and Rosales engaged in a fistfight in which Wooden “split [Rosales’s] face.” Rosales was angry and got in the van driven by Villegas, and the

2 following continued. Wooden and Simms ran away and climbed over a wall to the right of the Burger Palace and crossed an alley.2 They entered an abandoned building where victim Lewis was sleeping. At approximately 3:25 a.m., Officer David Tello and his partner, Officer Ethan Sillers, were in their patrol car at the intersection of Western and Florence Avenues when they heard five or six gunshots. Officer Tello drove in the direction of…