Have you ever had the urge to flip off a police officer during or after a traffic stop? Maybe you were pulled over for barely exceeding the limit, or perhaps the officer was just curt and unpleasant during your interaction. You may have thought twice before giving them the finger, fearing that it may be […] Read more
What is Vehicular Manslaughter?
What happens when you are driving a car and cause the death of another person? In California, you can face criminal charges for vehicular manslaughter if your unlawful or negligent conduct causes a fatal accident. If you are facing criminal charges for vehicular manslaughter it is important to speak with an experienced criminal lawyer as […] Read more
Los Angeles Police Can Now Use Drones In an Investigation
The Los Angeles Police Department will soon be able to use drones to help them with criminal investigations. The Los Angeles city commissioners recently granted the LAPD the authority to use drones to surveil high-risk situations for one year. This decision was made despite a number of protests from Los Angeles residents. Those who oppose […] Read more
Filing a Petition for Factual Innocence in California
Have you ever been arrested for a crime that you did not commit? Unfortunately, this happens all too often in Los Angeles, CA. As police ramp up efforts to reduce crime, innocent people can easily get caught up in the legal system for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many times, innocent […] Read more
Defrauding an Innkeeper in Los Angeles
A wide variety of theft offenses exist under California Penal Codes, one of which makes it a crime to defraud an innkeeper. Charges of defrauding an innkeeper fall under California Penal Code section 537(a), and are extremely serious. In fact, depending on the value of the theft, the offense can be charged as a felony. […] Read more
What Does A Dismissal Without Prejudice Mean?
At a preliminary hearing, which usually occurs some months after the arraignment, the prosecutor essentially previews the evidence to be used against the defendant at trial. The defense attorney then has a chance to poke holes in the prosecutor’s evidence, perhaps by questioning the basis for the stop or the probable cause for the search. Based […] Read more
California Supreme Court Limits Police Powers
The state’s highest court reversed course and ruled that officers could not search cell phones unless they had probable cause to believe that a crime had occurred. People v. Macabeo is a case that originated here in the Los Angeles area. Two Torrance detectives pulled over Paul Macabeo on his bicycle after he rolled through a […] Read more
Calif. Voters Retain Death Penalty; Approve Changes
Proposition 62 failed by a 54-46 margin, and Proposition 66 passed by a 51-49 count, so capital punishment is still legal in California and cases should move more quickly through the system. Proposition 34, the most recent prior attempt to overturn the death penalty, failed by a similar margin in 2012. Had Proposition 62 passed, […] Read more
Are You Allowed To Film The Police?
In the wake of cellphone videos of the mistreatment or killings of Eric Garner in New York, Sandra Bland in Texas, LaQuan McDonald in Illinois, and Walter Scott in South Carolina and the broadcast of the moments after Philando Castile was shot and killed by police in Minnesota, the issue of video technology and the legality of […] Read more
Voters Set to Decide Death Penalty Issues in California – Part 2
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a criminal known as “The Trailside Killer” committed several murders in Marin and Santa Cruz counties, near San Francisco. For David Carpenter, who was sentenced to death for these crimes and is now the oldest inmate on California’s death row at age 86, there is currently a slim […] Read more
