Opinion ID: 844204
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Robbery at Denny’s Restaurant

Text: In October 1992, Mark Repman worked as the manager at the Denny‟s Restaurant in Victorville. Repman testified that around 11:30 p.m. on October 28, defendant and two other African-American men entered the restaurant armed with pistols and a shotgun. One of the men placed a gun to the back of Repman‟s head and ordered him to the office. Repman complied with the man‟s demand to open the safe, handing over about $1,200 in cash. Meanwhile, defendant pointed a shotgun at the restaurant customers and employees and ordered them down on the floor. Deputy Sheriff Matthew Kitchen testified that he responded to the report of a robbery in progress by stationing his vehicle on the freeway on-ramp near the 7 Defendant was permitted to absent himself from the penalty phase after a pretrial hearing at which he indicated to the court that he did not want to “act out” or “cause a scene.” (§ 1043, subd. (b)(1).) 13 restaurant. He spotted a car that matched the description of the assailants‟ vehicle and a high-speed chase ensued. When the suspects‟ car failed to negotiate a freeway exit and crashed onto an embankment, two of the men jumped out of the vehicle and ran toward the railroad tracks. California Highway Patrol Sergeant Steven Urrea testified that he took defendant into custody along the tracks and found money and a shotgun under a nearby bush. The parties stipulated that defendant was convicted of second degree robbery in connection with this incident. (§ 211.)