People v. Tope CA3

FACTS AND HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS

In the instant case, a police officer was on patrol in his fully marked police car when he noticed defendant driving a car that had been reported as stolen. The officer drove closer to defendant’s car and turned on his car’s lights and sirens. Defendant made a U-turn into a parking lot and tried to get away from the officer. Defendant drove out of the parking lot, and the car chase continued on city streets and on the freeway at speeds between 80 and 100 miles per hour. The chase ended when defendant crashed the car he was driving causing it to roll over into a ditch. Defendant and a female passenger got out of the car, and defendant ran away on foot. Defendant eventually stopped running and was arrested. Police later found a third person who was unconscious trapped in the car. This person later died. In case No. 19F6245, defendant received a stolen car in September 2019. In case No. 19F5984, defendant received a different stolen car in September 2019. In this matter, the People charged defendant with second degree murder (Pen. Code, §§ 187, subd. (a), 189; count 1; undesignated section references are to the Penal Code), evading an officer…