People v. Gonzales CA2/5

INTRODUCTION

Defendant and appellant Raymond Gonzales (defendant) was convicted of attempted robbery (Pen. Code, §§664, 2111). On appeal, defendant contends that insufficient evidence supports his conviction. We affirm the judgment.

BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background

1. Prosecution Evidence In the morning of April 3, 2014, Michael Trent and his wife, Jennifer Trent,2 were walking near an intersection in Studio City when they saw defendant approaching them from the opposite direction. Defendant’s clothes were dirty, he had a long beard, and it was “fair to say he looked homeless.” Defendant advanced within a foot of Jennifer, “turned very quickly and aggressively” toward her, “got very close to” her face, and aggressively asked her, “Do you have any spare change?” Defendant appeared to be angry. Jennifer testified that defendant was “very tall and was kind of standing over me.” Jennifer told defendant that she did not have any change, and continued walking. Defendant was then between Jennifer and Michael, preventing Michael from continuing to walk in the same direction unless he went around defendant. Defendant however did not stand in Michael’s way to try to keep him…