Court Opinion

ID: 9746412
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 14:14:37.417518+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:12.874089
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, J.
I respectfully dissent.
The evidence of truck driver Valdez’s role at the store and during the robbery was not sufficiently illuminated to show Valdez properly can be treated as having the same implied authority over the cash and store property as have store clerks and security personnel. “Robbery is an offense against the person who has either actual or constructive possession over the goods. . . .” (People v. Estes (1983) 147 Cal.App.3d 23, 26 [194 Cal.Rptr. 909], citation omitted.)
The difference is explained in People v. Bekele (1995) 33 Cal.App.4th 1457 [39 Cal.Rptr.2d 797]: “ ‘A person must [be shown to] have an ownership interest in the property taken, or some representative capacity with respect to the owner of the property taken, or actual possession of the property taken, for the taking of the property to constitute robbery.’ ” (Id. at p. 1461, italics in original, quoting from State v. Latham (1983) 35 Wn.App. 862 [670 P.2d 689, 691.]
The Bekele court explained a passenger in a car stolen by force from both its owner and a passenger is not a victim of robbery. The reason is that the passenger has no express or implied authority over the car, and does not possess the car. However, the Bekele court explained in the circumstances presented in that case, a coworker to a truck owner was a victim of robbery where both the owner and the coworker saw the defendant stealing personal property from the truck and both men in concert attempted to prevent the theft. The coworker, working together with the truck owner, hit the defendant as he escaped with the property. Then the coworker went in foot pursuit of the defendant alone. During the pursuit, the defendant pulled out a gun and said, “ ‘Don’t,’ ” to the pursuing coworker, causing the coworker to give up his pursuit. Later, the defendant was found in possession of the items *1057taken from the truck. The Bekele court explained, in the latter circumstance, the truck owner impliedly authorized the coworker to assist him in thwarting the theft, conferring on the coworker a representative capacity with respect to the property. The coworker was thus a robbery victim.
In People v. Guerin (1972) 22 Cal.App.3d 775, 782 [99 Cal.Rptr. 573], a box boy, demonstrated only to be a mere co-employee to the other employees in actual and constructive possession of the property, was not a robbery victim. In People v. Galoia (1994) 31 Cal.App.4th 595, 597-598 [37 Cal.Rptr.2d 117], the court held a “Good Samaritan” who was inside a convenience store and attempted to thwart a theft of convenience store property and was assaulted by the thieves in doing so was not a robbery victim.
In this case, the circumstances of Valdez’s role at the store and his duties with respect to the owner’s property inside the store are not described so as to draw the requisite conclusion the truck driver, just like the store clerks and security personnel of a store, had a representative capacity with respect to the property. There were no circumstances in this case showing his implied authority over the property. The evidence is inadequate to demonstrate Valdez “possessed” the money which was taken during the robbery and thus the robbery of Valdez alleged in count 2 should be reversed.
Appellant’s petition for review by the Supreme Court was denied May 1, 1996.