Los Angeles County Criminal Lawyer Blog

A 45-year-old man was arrested on February 11 after barricading himself in a hotel room in Oxnard for over two hours when police came to arrest him on a warrant. The man was wanted by police for suspicion of evading a police officer earlier that same week, but when officers came to take him into custody, he told them that he had a gun, according to The Ventura County Star.

After he informed officers that he was armed, Oxnard SWAT officers, a hostage negotiation team, and police, sheriffs, and firefighters from Ventura County arrived at the scene to aid in the situation. Police attempted to negotiate with the man and have him leave the room in order to prevent any violent incidents from occurring. After more than two hours, the Oxnard man left the hotel room and peacefully surrendered to police. Police searched the room and the surrounding area, but did not find any weapon. No one was hurt during the incident.

Resisting arrest by an officer in California is a crime as defined by California Penal Code 148 (a) (1). Anyone who resists arrest, or delays and/or obstructs their own or another's arrest or the duties of any public officer, peace officer, or emergency medical technician is guilty of violating this law. If convicted, a person is subject to up to one year in county jail, a one thousand dollar fine, or both. These charges and penalties are in addition to any other charges that one may be facing for related crimes.

Resisting arrest can apply to many actions, often those that a person did not know could be considered as such. If you or a loved one is facing criminal charges, the Ventura County criminal defense attorneys at the Law Offices of Daniel Kann are available to use their years of experience to your advantage in court. For more information on how we can help you, call us today at (805) 290-4932.

During the most recent leg in an extensive ongoing police offensive named "Operation Simple Green" targeting the Vagos motorcycle gang, twelve individuals have been arrested and over 300 weapons have been confiscated throughout seven counties in Southern California. In total, in part of an 18 month examination headed by the California Department of Justice, 37 individuals have been arrested for an assortment of alleged drug offenses.

Over 40 pounds of cocaine and eight pounds of methamphetamine were found and confiscated, as were droves of firearms (all discovered at a house in Alhambra) and a rocket launcher, according to reporting by the Associated Press. This past Thursday (October 6), police delivered a massive 52 search warrants in a county wide raid spanning from Santa Barbara to the north down to the Imperial counties in the south. Police claimed that the gang has approximately 500 affiliates around the world, and select members were associated with a wide-ranging drug sale syndicate. Up to fifty accusations are pending for illicit drug sale, illegal weapon possession, soliciting for murder, and rape.

In a comparable effort five years ago, federal and state officials arrested over 24 alleged Vagos members, among them seven chapter heads. And in 2004, a state initiative helped with the arrest of 26 individuals and the confiscation of over $125,000 in cash, illicit substances, and weapons. Have you been arrested for criminal activity affiliated with a gang in Los Angeles or its surrounding areas? Call criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles Daniel Kann at 310-593-2435 for a free case review.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious anxiety disorder that can drastically alter a person's life and behavior. According to a Los Angeles Times article, there has been an increase in the use of PTSD as a defense in criminal cases for veterans, and it is expected to rise as more and more veterans come back from Afghanistan and Iraq with post-traumatic stress or a different type of trauma from frequent combat missions. PTSD often develops after a person sees or experiences a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death.

While at first glance the average person might roll their eyes at PTSD being used as a defense in a criminal case, the effects of the disorder are not to be taken lightly and can significantly alter a person's mental stability and cognitive abilities. The founder of the National Veterans Foundation is a Vietnam veteran who has provided counseling for soldiers for 40 years. In the article, he comments that PTSD as a defense in criminal cases for veterans is meant "to help the veterans get the treatment they need" as opposed to making sure the veteran gets off clean.

It may be surprising to learn that over 170,000 veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have been diagnosed with PTSD, as reported by the Department of Veterans Affairs. To help veterans with combat trauma cope with PTSD, most veterans who have their nonviolent crime charges or sentences reduced are now frequently required to attend counseling and treatment programs as opposed to going to prison for low-level offenses.

There are over 80 special veterans' treatment courts throughout the country and many more are in the works. It is important to note that veterans' courts aren't "the easy way out" by any means. These courts are intended to guide defendants towards treatment and probation in which they often work closely with Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers.

As a criminal defense lawyer in Santa Clarita who helps individuals facing criminal charges throughout southern California, Daniel Kann knows what is at stake. Mr. Kann ensures that his clients' rights are protected at all times so they can obtain a successful result for their case. To find out more about your rights, call 661-450-9678.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ptsd-20110915,0,1770739.story