People v. Lopez CA4/3

FACTS

On the evening of November 19, 2019, Walaa Y. was working at a liquor store in Huntington Beach. Two individuals entered, one of whom was wearing a Santa hat and a bandana covering his face. He pointed a knife at Walaa and told her to give him all her money. Walaa thought he was joking at first, but the man in the Santa hat repeated the demand, and the second man pointed a gun at her. She was “really scared.” She opened the cash register and the two men took all of the money, which was $820 in cash, and fled, driving away in a dark gray sedan driven by a third person. The car had been backed into a parking space. Walaa described the man in the Santa hat as being in his 30’s, having bronze skin and dark eyes, five feet seven inches tall and 160 pounds. The knife blade was three or four inches long. She described the second man as taller and “a little chubbier” than the first. Surveillance video showed the man had his face and neck covered by the bandana. The video also showed the first man was wearing black pants with a white logo on the side, black Nike shoes with white Nike “swooshes” and white shoes. It also

1 Subsequent statutory references are to the Penal Code unless…