Opinion ID: 844220
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Robbery and shooting at Hughes Market

Text: On December 29, 1987, Augustus Guardino was working as assistant manager of the Hughes Market on National Boulevard in Los Angeles. Shortly before 8:00 a.m., Guardino removed from the store‟s safe a bag containing the store‟s receipts from the previous day. Following his usual procedure, he began walking toward the store‟s cash office, where the store‟s receipts would be counted in preparation for their pickup by an armored transport service. As he passed one of the store‟s aisles, he saw a man whom he identified at trial as defendant pointing a gun at him. Guardino jerked his head back, defendant fired the gun, and Guardino fell to the floor, having been shot through the face. Defendant fired two shots in the direction of the store‟s exterior doors, grabbed the bag from Guardino, and ran through the store. After pushing a door open, 8 defendant went outside, ran through the parking lot, jumped a fence, and got into a car that sped off. Guardino was not killed, but the bullet, which entered just below his right eye and exited near his left temple, destroyed his left eye, both cheekbones, and part of his upper jaw.