Court Opinion

ID: 9567039
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:47:26.224387+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:51:12.850035
License: Public Domain

Judge Harold R. Banke.
Avery Bradford was cofivicted of hijacking a motor vehicle (OCGA § 16-5-44.1) and attempted robbery by intimidation (OCGA § 16-8-40). On appeal, Bradford enumerates four errors, all of which challenge only the hijacking convictión.
The State’s evidence was as follows. Around midnight on Christmas, Lisa Headrick left her apartment carrying a laundry basket en route to a friend’s house to do her laundry. As Headrick proceeded toward her car, Bradford intercepted her and grabbed her arm. He cautioned her not to yell and demanded her car keys which she denied having. After Bradford demanded the keys a second time, he warned her that she had better not be lying about the keys as he had *425a gun and would kill her. Bradford gripped the victim tightly with one hand, and the victim never saw his other hand. While Bradford threatened her, and was becoming increasingly impatient, two police cars drove up within about 30 or 40 feet. Police had been combing the area looking for a reportedly intoxicated person, matching Bradford’s description, who had been attempting to stop traffic on an adjacent main street. As Corporal Jay Moore pulled into the parking lot, he observed Bradford drop his grip on the victim when he spotted the marked patrol car. The victim broke free, ran to the police and reported that a man was trying to take her car. Immediately after the victim’s escape, Moore walked over to Bradford, searched him, but failed to find a gun or weapon or any offensive object. Nor did Moore who watched Bradford from close range observe Bradford discard anything. Headrick testified that she believed the perpetrator “possibly” had a gun even though she never saw a weapon. Because the laundry basket apparently obstructed her view, she was unable to see one of Bradford’s hands and could not testify as to whether that hand was inside his pocket or at his side. Held:
1. Bradford contends that there was a fatal variance between the allegations set forth in the indictment and the evidence shown at trial and also challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. The indictment charged that Bradford “while in possession of an object have [sic] the appearance of a firearm, did unlawfully attempt to obtain a motor vehicle.”
The essential elements of the offense of motor vehicle hijacking are: (1) possessing a firearm or weapon; (2) while obtaining or attempting to obtain a motor vehicle from the person or presence of another; (3) by force and violence or intimidation. OCGA § 16-5-44.1 (b).
The State contends that the motor vehicle hijacking statute should be interpreted in the same manner as the armed robbery statute insofar as the meaning of “weapon” and “appearance of weapon.” OCGA §§ 16-8-41 (a); 16-5-44.1 (a) (3). Drawing a parallel to the armed robbery statute, the State argues that the fact that no weapon was found in this case was not fatal to proving that Bradford had a weapon because under the armed robbery statute, when a weapon remains undisplayed, the requisite element of an offensive weapon can nonetheless be found “provided there is either a physical manifestation of the weapon or some evidence from which the presence of a weapon may be inferred.” Johnson v. State, 195 Ga. App. 56, 57 (1) (a) (392 SE2d 280) (1990). See Moody v. State, 258 Ga. 818, 819 (1) (375 SE2d 30) (1989); Nicholson v. State, 200 Ga. App. 413, 414 (1) (408 SE2d 487) (1991).
In Johnson, supra, the defendant threatened to shoot the victim and kept one hand concealed, which led the victim to reasonably *426assume he had a gun. Johnson, 195 Ga. App. at 57 (1) (a). Such evidence was held sufficient to satisfy the armed robbery statute. Here, Bradford said he had a gun and threatened to kill the victim if she did not cooperate, but the victim never saw a weapon and no evidence was presented that Bradford concealed his hand dr acted as though he was holding an offensive object. Compare Nicholson, 200 Ga. App. at 414 (1). In fact, the victim specifically testified that she did not know where Bradford’s other hand was located or how it was positioned and admitted that she only thought he “possibly” had a gun.
“Some physical manifestation is required or some evidence from which the presence of a weapon may be inferred, Hughes v. State, 185 Ga. App. 40, 41 (363 SE2d 336), but OCGA § 16-8-41 (a) does not require proof of an actual offensive weapon.” McCluskey v. State, 211 Ga. App. 205, 207 (2) (438 SE2d 679) (1993). In this case, no evidence was offered to establish the physical manifestation requirement necessary to sustain a reasonable inference that Bradford had a gun, a weapon, or any object as alleged in the indictment. Thus, the evidence adduced at trial was not sufficient to enable a rational trier of fact to find all the essential elements of motor vehicle hijacking or to prove that Bradford possessed an object as alleged in the indictment. OCGA § 16-5-44.1; Pettway v. State, 204 Ga. App. 804 (420 SE2d 619) (1992); compare Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307 (99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560) (1979); see Talbot v. State, 198 Ga. App. 636, 637 (402 SE2d 366) (1991). For these reasons, we reverse Bradford’s conviction for hijacking a motor vehicle. Bradford’s conviction for attempted robbery by intimidation still stands.
2. In light of the above holding, we need not reach the remaining enumerations.

Judgment reversed only as to the motor vehicle hijacking conviction.

Blackburn, J., concurs. Beasley, C. J., concurs specially.