Los Angeles County Criminal Lawyer Blog

Police are searching for two men who are accused of robbing a business at knifepoint, with one of the suspects beating and attempting to rape a woman inside on March 15. According to ABC News 7, the two armed men entered the business and took money and video equipment while they held the victim at knifepoint.

While one of the suspects left the building to get in their nearby vehicle, the other stayed inside and physically assaulted the woman while threatening to rape her. The victim struggled with her attacker, and he then fled to the waiting vehicle. The two men took off and when police came to the business, they found the beaten woman inside. Police are currently searching for the men for robbery with intent to commit rape.

Robbery charges in Oxnard are serious matters and, depending on the circumstances of the incident, can result in even harsher penalties. California Penal Code Section 211 defines robbery as "the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear." First degree robbery (robbing a person in an inhabited building, who has used an automated teller, or is operating or in a commercial vehicle) is punishable by three, four, or six years in state prison or for three, six, or nine years if committed in concert with two or more other people. Anything else is second degree robbery, which can result in two, three, or five years in state prison.

Rape crimes are punishable under Penal Code Section 264, with those convicted facing three, six, or eight years in state prison. Being found guilty of attempting to commit a crime results in a defendant punished by half of what he or she would serve if he or she had successfully committed the crime.

Oxnard robbery defense lawyer Daniel Kann understands that a conviction can result in years spent behind bars and aftereffects that last far beyond a prison sentence. For a consultation from the experienced law team at the Law Offices of Daniel Kann, call (888) 744-7730 today.

A man dubbed the "Tri-Cities Bandit" was recently arrested after he allegedly robbed as many as 10 banks in recent months, the Glendale News-Press reports.

Bank robbery in Pasadena and throughout Southern California is a serious crime and is typically prosecuted in federal court rather than in a state-run criminal court because banks are backed by federal money. Therefore, the government will throw lots of resources at a bank robbery case and the defendant they decide to charge.

That's why hiring an experienced Pasadena Criminal Defense Lawyer in order to fight the charges is critical. In the federal system, penalties are usually steeper than in Los Angeles Superior Court, for instance. And bank robberies are investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

According to the news report, the 39-year-old man, along with a 42-year-old man identified as his getaway driver were recently arrested after robbing a bank in Westlake Village. Authorities believe he is responsible for 10 bank robberies throughout Southern California.

After leaving a bank recently, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy stopped a vehicle that matched the description of a vehicle that had left a bank that was robbed. After stopping the vehicle, the deputy arrested the two men.

ABC News reports that he never used a weapon during any of the robberies. The story provides a list of the banks that were recently robbed that these suspects are allegedly connected to:

• June 13, Citibank, Burbank
• July 19, Wells Fargo, Pasadena
• July 20, Wells Fargo, Glendale
• Aug. 11, EastWest, Tarzana
• Aug. 12, Grandpoint, Brentwood
• Aug. 15, OneWest, Chino Hills
• Aug. 16, Bank of America, Los Angeles
• Aug. 17, Bank of the West, Pasadena
• Aug. 17, US Bank, La Verne

Charges of theft in Los Angeles can range from simple shoplifting to using a weapon to rob a person at gunpoint. And, therefore, the possible penalties range from a few months in jail to years in prison.

There are many factors that go into a prosecution for robbery. The chief issue is identification. Misidentification of a suspect is the easiest way for a defendant to get out of the charges. In this case, probable cause for the car stop should also be questioned.

There are also times when officers unlawfully stop a vehicle or conduct an illegal search. Challenging the legality of a search can result in suppressed evidence and even a reduction or dismissal of the charges.

Continue reading ""Tri-Cities Bandit" Faces Burglary in Pasadena, Glendale, Burbank" »

Three Ventura men, including a juvenile, were recently arrested and charged with a robbery attempt, the Ventura County Star reports.

A robbery charge in Ventura is serious and can involve life-altering penalties if not properly defended in court. That's why trusting in an experienced Ventura Criminal Defense Lawyer is critical in order to challenge the facts the state intends to introduce at trial.

According to California Penal Code Section 211, robbery is defined as: "the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear."

The "fear" can be of unlawful injury to the person or to that of a relative or another person in the company of the person being robbed.

Regardless of the circumstances, and including an attempted robbery, the charge is punishable by time in prison. If someone works with another person and robs a home, the charge is a first-degree felony and is punishable by up to nine years in state prison. In other circumstances, the charge can be punished by up to six years in prison. If charged as second-degree felony, the charge can be punished by a five-year prison sentence.

According to the newspaper account, Ventura County Sheriff's deputies responded to an attempted robbery in the 6500 block of Ventura Boulevard. A man alleges he was riding his bicycle in the area when three males surrounded him and stopped him from leaving. The suspects, 19, 18 and 15, demanded the victim's gang affiliation and searched his backpack.

The victim wasn't injured and nothing was taken, but the older suspects were arrested nearby and are charged with attempted robbery and conspiracy. The 15-year-old faces those same charges as well as on an outstanding warrant for failing to appear on a previous resisting arrest case.

According to statistics from the California Department of Justice, there were 69,391 robberies in 2008. Nearly half of those cases were categorized as highway robbery, which include in streets and parking lots. Commercial robberies accounted for 21 percent, residential robbery 8.4 percent and bank robbery 1.8 percent.

Some people are confused about the difference between robbery and burglary. Burglary, in contrast to robbery, is taking property from a structure, rather than a person. Burglary is typically when someone breaks into a home, car or building and takes things, but doesn't approach a person. Robbery is a more serious crime because it alleges taking from a person, which can sometimes lead to injuries to the victim.

In robbery cases, eye witness accounts, the testimony of alleged co-conspirators, sometimes physical evidence, such as fingerprints, and video surveillance can be important to the state's case. An aggressive Ventura Criminal Defense Attorney will work to suppress evidence and aggressively challenge the state's witnesses through cross examination in order to shred their credibility in front of a jury.

Continue reading "Three Ventura Men Charged in Connection with Robbery Attempt" »

Charges of car theft in Ventura are pending against a 23-year-old defendant who was arrested early Saturday morning, the Ventura County Star reported.

A defense attorney in Ventura, Pasadena or the surrounding areas understands the many issues surrounding theft cases. A conviction can be quite serious. In addition to the criminal consequences, having a theft conviction on your record can make it difficult to get a job or even qualify for an apartment. In many cases, these charges are defensible.

In this case, a woman told police shortly before 2 a.m. Saturday that her car went missing after she misplaced her keys at the bar. A police officer spotted the defendant driving the car and initiated a traffic stop. He reportedly fled the vehicle and was found hiding in the area by a K-9 Unit.

In this case, a defense attorney may reasonably question whether the defendant was driving the car. And let's just say the testimony of an alleged victim at a bar at 2 a.m. might not be rock solid.

In other theft news, the Star reported a teenager is facing possible robbery charges in Ventura for reportedly fighting with a store security guard after allegedly stealing a pair of shoes.

Loss prevention officers say the teen became aggressive and assaulted them -- though neither was injured. He was taken to juvenile hall on suspicion of robbery and resisting arrest.

This is classic. Robbery is a very serious charge, which alleges force or the threat of force to carry out a theft crime. Used in this context, it can result in a strike under California's three-strikes law and can result in a very, very serious criminal conviction for what is essentially a shoplifting allegation.

Under California Law (Penal Code Sections 211-215 Chapter 4), first-degree robbery committed by a lone individual can be either a first-degree or second-degree felony and is punishable by up to six years in prison.

Hiring a Ventura juvenile defense lawyer may help prevent a teen from being saddled for life with an unwarranted criminal conviction. It doesn't matter what law enforcement charges you with -- what you are convicted of is all that counts.

Continue reading "Defendants facing charges of auto theft, robbery in Ventura" »