People v. Williams CA5

FACTS

Prosecution Case On June 6, 2018, defendant was an inmate at the California Correctional Institution, Tehachapi. Officer Ryan Avila worked there as a uniformed correctional officer. Avila began to search defendant for a suspected object without incident. However, when Avila reached the front of defendant’s left sock, he felt an object which he believed, based on prior experience, may have been the handle to an inmate- manufactured weapon. As Avila felt this object, defendant broke free from his grasp and started turning to his right. Avila attempted to pull defendant down, but defendant elbowed him in the face and both men fell to the ground. Defendant started kicking and hitting Avila in the face with an open hand strike. Avila ordered defendant to stop resisting and tried to regain physical control, punching defendant in the face, but defendant did not comply and continued to resist and strike Avila, while reaching towards his left sock. Another correctional officer, Alicia Wiley, responded and struck defendant three times with her baton and ordered him to stop resisting. Defendant kicked Wiley in the leg and all three were pepper sprayed. Defendant broke free, ran…