Wofford

FACTS

Background During the afternoon of July 31, 2010, LAPD Officers Nicole Hollick and Edward Bolanos were on patrol in a police vehicle near the intersection of Mulholland Highway and Mulholland Drive when their attention was drawn to a Volkswagen van with an item hanging from the rear-view mirror. The officers ran a “DMV wants/warrants check” of the license plate, which returned information indicating there was a misdemeanor warrant connected to the van. Based on the warrant information, the officers decided to initiate a traffic stop to investigate.

1 According to Officers Hollick and Bolanos, Wofford was driving the van. At his deposition, Wofford testified that he was “traveling” in the van at the time of the traffic stop by the LAPD officers. When asked to explain more precisely what he meant by “traveling,” Wofford testified further: “Traveling means exercising the right of locomotion, of changing one’s inclination to suit one’s destination, going from point A to point B.” About stopping the van, Wofford testified: “I yielded to their show of authority. I stopped my personal property. My personal property came to the side of the road. I directed my personality [sic]…