Opinion ID: 2672558
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Riteway Robbery

Text: On May 18, 1997, defendant entered the Riteway Market (Riteway or market) in Compton alone and asked the lone clerk, Jung Ja Chung, for hair gel. 2 Chung said she did not have any, and defendant left. Defendant quickly returned with codefendant Johnson and three accomplices. One accomplice approached Chung, pointed his gun at her, and demanded money. Defendant went behind the counter and told Chung to open the cash register. Defendant took cash from the register and a nine-millimeter Glock handgun (the Glock) that the owner kept under the counter. The other robbers took various items. Defendant pointed the Glock at Chung as he followed his accomplices out of the store. At trial, defendant’s California Youth Authority (CYA) parole officer, Kenneth Lipkin, viewed the Riteway surveillance videotape of the robbery and recognized defendant as the person who first entered the market and later pointed the Glock at Chung as he left. Lipkin recognized defendant’s voice on the tape saying, “We’re in the house. They don’t have a video,” “There’s a Glock,” and “187.” Lipkin noted that defendant’s “187” comment was a reference to the Penal Code section that defines murder.