People v. Sanchez CA2/5

I. Facts

On the night of July 1, 2021, Gonzalo Rosales drove to his workplace, a laundromat in Northridge, to clean and lock up for the night. Rosales picked his daughter up from her job on his way there. He parked his truck outside the laundromat and observed defendant “walking around pushing trash cans.” Rosales had seen defendant there before, but they had only exchanged greetings once. At about 10:40 p.m., defendant approached Rosales’s truck and began to strike and kick it. Rosales locked his daughter and himself in the truck and called the police. Defendant left the scene and Rosales entered the laundromat to do his work, leaving his daughter in his locked car. A few customers were inside finishing their laundry, as shown in a surveillance camera footage at the back of the laundromat that faced the front of the business. Defendant reappeared and entered the laundromat carrying a garden rake. He announced to the customers that he owned the laundromat. Rosales demanded that defendant leave. Defendant, still carrying the rake, approached Rosales and backed him into a corner, where the men stood outside the surveillance camera’s view for several seconds. Rosales testified…