In re Joshua P. CA2/1

BACKGROUND

On July 10, 2014, the district attorney filed a petition under Welfare and Institutions Code section 602, alleging 16-year-old Joshua committed two counts of felony vandalism (graffiti), one on a wall (count 1), and one on a United States Postal Service mail truck (count 2), causing over $400 of damage in each instance, in violation of section 594, subdivision (a). Joshua denied the petition and the juvenile court held a contested adjudication hearing. Los Angeles Police Department Officer Ryan Nguyen testified at the hearing. He and other officers responded to a vandalism call on July 8, 2014, about 5:00 p.m. When he arrived on the scene at James M. Wood Boulevard and Burlington Street in the City of

1 Statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise indicated. 2 At the time of his arrest for this offense, Joshua was a ward of the court with multiple sustained delinquency petitions and was on probation in the Community Detention Program. 3 Miranda v. Arizona (1966) 384 U.S. 436 (Miranda).

2 Los Angeles, he observed Joshua running on the sidewalk toward him. Joshua was holding an aerosol can containing black spray paint. Officer Nguyen detained Joshua in…