People v. Koback
People v. Koback
Opinion of the Court
*325Defendant Brian Keith Koback walked into a rental car company office and stole a set of car keys. When confronted by *326three employees in the parking lot, defendant told the men to back off or he would "fuck" them up. He then walked across the street. Undeterred, the three employees followed defendant to a motel parking lot where they again confronted defendant and demanded that he return the keys. Defendant made a tight fist around one of the key fobs, so that the ignition portion of the key was sticking out between his knuckles and, from within arm's reach, lunged at one of the employees while swiping or swinging at the employee's torso. Luckily, defendant did not make contact. When the employees backed off, defendant jumped a fence and tried to flee. Police officers arrived and pursued defendant. Officers subdued defendant after a brief struggle, during which three of the officers suffered minor injuries.
Defendant was charged with and convicted of robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest. Defendant admitted he had suffered a strike conviction, and the trial court sentenced him to state prison for 14 years four months. On appeal, defendant argues: (1) his conviction for assault with a deadly weapon is not supported by substantial evidence because *678there is no evidence he used the car keys in a manner that was capable of inflicting and likely to cause great bodily injury; (2) the trial court abused its discretion by imposing consecutive sentences on the robbery and resisting arrest counts, under the mistaken belief that it could only impose concurrent sentences if it struck defendant's strike prior; (3) the minutes of sentencing and abstract of judgment do not accurately reflect the oral pronouncement of sentence with respect to restitution and parole revocation fines; and (4) the minutes of sentencing contain a clerical error, in that they reflect that defendant admitted two strike priors instead of one.
In the published portion of this opinion, we conclude defendant's conviction for assault with a deadly weapon is supported by substantial evidence. A car key is not an inherently deadly or dangerous weapon, but if wielded as a makeshift weapon with sufficient force at close range, as defendant did here, a key is capable of puncturing skin and causing serious bodily injury.
In the unpublished portion of this opinion, we conclude the trial court erred when it concluded the only way it could impose concurrent sentences on defendant's robbery and resisting arrest convictions is if it first struck defendant's admitted strike prior. A trial court has discretion under the three strikes law to impose concurrent sentences if the current offenses occurred on the same occasion or arose from the same operative facts. We reverse the sentence and remand for the trial court to resentence defendant and to consider in the first instance whether concurrent sentencing is appropriate in this case. We agree with defendant that the minutes and abstract of judgment do not reflect the oral pronouncement of judgment with respect to the *327restitution and parole revocation fines, and that the minutes inaccurately state that defendant admitted two strike priors. Because we reverse the sentence, we leave it to the trial court and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to ensure that the minutes and abstract of judgment will accurately reflect whatever sentence the court imposes on remand.
I.
PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
In an information, the People charged defendant with the following: assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, to wit, a key ( Pen. Code, § 245, subd. (a)(1), count 1); robbery ( Pen. Code, § 211, count 2); and (3) resisting arrest ( Pen. Code, § 69, count 3). The People alleged defendant suffered two prior prison terms ( Pen. Code, § 667.5, subd. (b) ), to wit: a 2013 conviction for possessing a controlled substance ( Health & Saf. Code, § 11377, subd. (a) ) and a 2011 conviction for attempted carjacking ( Pen. Code, §§ 664, 215 ). Finally, the People alleged defendant's 2011 conviction for attempted carjacking was a serious felony and a serious and violent felony. ( Pen. Code, §§ 667, subds. (a), (c), (e)(1), 1170.12, subd. (c)(1).)
A jury found defendant guilty on all three counts. In a bifurcated proceeding, defendant admitted his 2011 conviction for attempted carjacking was a strike. The trial court sentenced defendant to a total term of 14 years four months in state prison.
Defendant timely appealed.
II.
FACTS
On November 6, 2015, defendant walked into a rental car company office, grabbed a set of car keys from the front desk, and *679walked out.
Chase and Agustin noticed that one of the keys was hanging out of defendant's pocket, and they demanded defendant return the keys. Defendant stopped and stood facing Agustin and Arthur from about two feet away. Chase backed off and stood about five feet behind defendant. Defendant appeared to be getting angry. Defendant again reached into his pocket, "like he was going to go for something." Defendant told the men to "back up" or "move," or he would "fuck" them up. He then began to walk away across the street. The employees then got into Arthur's car and followed defendant into a motel parking lot across the street.
The three men stood around defendant in the motel parking lot and again demanded that defendant return the car keys. Chase testified defendant stood "[a]bout a foot from arm's reach" away from the three men, but that Agustin was closest to defendant. Agustin testified defendant stood two to three feet away from him, and was within arm's reach. Defendant asked, "You want the keys?" He then took the car keys from his pocket, made a tight fist, and held one of the keys with the "sharp" or ignition end of the key sticking out between his knuckles. Defendant then "charged," "came at," or "lunged" at Agustin and "swung" or "swiped" the key at Agustin's torso. Arthur described defendant's motion like "throwing a punch." Agustin testified he was nervous and afraid that he might get hurt because defendant swung the key at him "with force." Chase testified he did not believe defendant was close enough to Agustin to actually make contact. But Agustin testified he was not hit "because my nephew [i.e., Arthur] pulled me back." Arthur testified, "If I didn't move [Agustin], he probably would have got hit." The three men backed away from defendant.
Defendant then put the keys back into his pocket, took off, and scaled the wall behind the motel. The employees got back into the car and found defendant as he walked along one of the streets behind the motel. They followed defendant by car through a small area of shops and streets for about 40 minutes, until law enforcement arrived and took over the chase. Several deputies chased down and subdued defendant. Defendant resisted, and three deputies were injured in the process.
Defendant testified he found the car keys next to a bus stop. Defendant ran from the police because he feared for his life. He denied taking the car keys from the rental car company office, denied resisting arrest, and denied that he swung the keys at Agustin.
DISCUSSION
A. Substantial Evidence Supports Defendant's Conviction for Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
Defendant argues his conviction for assault with a deadly weapon is not supported by substantial evidence because he did not use the car keys-an object that is not inherently deadly or dangerous-in a manner that was capable of causing and likely to result in serious bodily injury. On this record, we conclude defendant did, in fact, use the car keys as a deadly weapon.
Our standard of review is well settled. "We ' " 'must review the whole record in the light most favorable to the judgment below to determine whether it discloses substantial evidence-that is, evidence which is reasonable, credible, and of solid value-such that a reasonable trier of fact could find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.' " ' [Citation.]" ( People v. Brooks (2017)
" ' " 'Although it is the duty of the jury to acquit a defendant if it finds that circumstantial evidence is susceptible of two interpretations, one of which suggests guilt and the other innocence [citations], it is the jury, not the appellate court[,] which must be convinced of the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. " 'If the circumstances reasonably justify the trier of fact's findings, the opinion of the reviewing court that the circumstances might also reasonably be reconciled with a contrary finding does not warrant a reversal of the judgment.' " [Citations.]' " ' " ( People v. Harris (2013)
"As used in [Penal Code] section 245, subdivision (a)(1), a 'deadly weapon' is 'any object, instrument, or weapon which is used in such a manner as to be capable of producing and likely to produce, death or great bodily injury. [Citation.]' Some few objects, such as dirks and blackjacks, have been held to be deadly weapons as a matter of law; the ordinary use for which they are designed established their character as such. [Citation.] Other objects, while not deadly per se, may be used, under certain circumstances, in a manner likely to produce death or great bodily injury. In determining whether an object not inherently deadly or dangerous is used as such, the trier of fact may consider the nature of the object, the manner in which it is used, *330and all other facts relevant to the issue. [Citations.]" ( People v. Aguilar (1997)
" ' "When it appears ... that an instrumentality ... is capable of being used in a 'dangerous or deadly' manner, and it may be fairly inferred from the evidence that its possessor intended on a particular occasion to use it as a weapon should the circumstances require, ... its character as a 'dangerous or deadly weapon' may be thus established, at least for the purposes of that occasion." [Citation.]' ( People v. Graham (1969)
*681"Because [the] definition [of deadly weapon] focuses on potentiality, the People need not prove an actual injury to a victim, or even physical contact between the defendant and a third person, in order to substantiate a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. [Citation.]" ( In re D.T. (2015)
" '[A]n instrument can be a deadly weapon even if it is not actually used with deadly force.' ( People v. Page , supra , 123 Cal.App.4th at p. 1472 [
Defendant swung or swiped the car key at Agustin's torso "with force." Agustin was standing within arm's reach of defendant, and defendant likely would have struck Agustin if Arthur had not pulled him back in time. The testimony was that Agustin was clothed and was wearing a polo shirt. But there was no testimony that Agustin was wearing anything under the shirt or *331that the shirt was tucked into his pants. And there is nothing in the record to suggest defendant would not have continued to swing the car key at Agustin if he and the other men had not backed off, or that defendant would only have swung at Agustin's torso and would not have swung for his face or neck. Defendant was agitated and angry, and he threatened to "fuck" the men up. On this record, a reasonable jury could conclude that defendant used the car key in such a way that it was capable of producing and likely to produce great bodily injury.
We believe this case is similar to People v. Simons (1996)
This is not the first time our court has relied on Simons when concluding a instrument *682that is not inherently deadly was used as a deadly weapon. In Page , supra ,
More recently, In re D.T. , supra ,
On appeal, the minor in In re D.T. , supra ,
As in Page and In re D.T. , we continue to find Simons persuasive. If using a screwdriver to fend off police officers from a distance is an assault with a deadly weapon, then forcefully swinging or swiping a car key from a short distance is also an assault with a deadly weapon.
B.-C.
IV.
DISPOSITION
The sentence is reversed. At resentencing, the trial court must consider whether concurrent sentences on counts 1 and 3 are appropriate pursuant to Penal Code sections 667, subdivision (c)(6), and 1170.12, subdivision (a)(6).
In all other respects, the judgment is affirmed.
I concur:
MILLER J.
The set consisted of two car keys attached to key "fobs," and a tag from the rental car company, on a wire ring.
We refer to the three witnesses by their first names only, and we mean no disrespect in doing so. We point out that the record includes different spellings of the same witnesses, i.e., Agustine/Agustin and Arthur/Arturo. We will use Agustin and Arthur, respectively.
There is no doubt that a key may be used as a defensive or offensive weapon. (See, e.g., State v. Labrum (Utah Ct.App. 2014)
An Internet website dedicated to women's self-defense advises that women hold a key "between your thumb and forefinger in order to use it like a short knife that you can use to cut an assailant's face," rather than "hold[ing] it between your fingers like an improvised knuckle duster." According to this resource, "Most assaults happen at close range and you will probably not be given the room to make a solid, effective strike, whereas you will probably be able to get a hand to your attacker's face and be able to drag the key across their eyes, nose, cheek and throat etc. in a cutting action." (See SEPS, Situation Effective Protection System for Women's Self-defense at < http://www.womensselfdefense-seps.com/womensselfdefense-course-module7.html> [as of July 17, 2018].)
To be sure, the pocket knife used by the minor in In re D.T. is different than a car key because, by definition, a pocket knife has a pointed blade that is designed to cut.
The court in In re Brandon T. (2011)
See footnote *, ante .
Dissenting Opinion
I
INTRODUCTION
I respectfully disagree with my colleagues' conclusion that swiping a car key once with unknown force at a person's clothed torso from a few feet away, then fleeing, constitutes assault with a deadly weapon. The majority reaches this outlier holding only by leaving the record and engaging in gross speculation-they affirm the conviction based on what could have happened had the defendant, Brian Koback, not fled but instead continued swiping *334the key at the victim and perhaps, possibly, aimed for his face or neck. This is error. Where the charged offense is assault with a typically innocuous object alleged to be deadly as used (an as-used aggravated assault), California Supreme *684Court precedent requires the prosecution prove the defendant used the object with force "likely to produce death or great bodily injury" (the force-used test). ( People v. Aguilar (1997)
The only evidence regarding the force used in this case is the victim's testimony Koback swiped the key at him from a few feet away "with force" then immediately left the scene. How much force? Enough to gravely injure the victim? Enough only to scratch or graze him? The record doesn't provide an answer, and it is obvious that some force is not the same as force likely to produce death or great bodily injury. (See People v. Beasley (2003)
The majority pays lip service to Aguilar's force-used test by citing it in their analysis, but they don't actually apply it. Instead, they rely on an opinion involving the offense of exhibiting a deadly weapon to evade arrest in violation of Penal Code section 417.8. ( People v. Simons (1996)
The majority's error is not harmless. By upholding an as-used aggravated assault conviction based on a key's capacity to inflict injury and their conjecture about what might have happened had things gone differently, my colleagues blur the important distinction between cases involving inherently deadly weapons and those involving objects alleged to be deadly as used . In this case, the blurring leads them to affirm a bad aggravated assault conviction. As precedent, it will lead to over-prosecution of simple assaults, treating people who use innocuous objects without injury as if they are just as culpable as people who wield weapons designed to inflict deadly injury. It is critical that we maintain the distinction, for a fool with a car key is much less dangerous than a fool with a dagger.
*335II
DISCUSSION
A. Assault with an "Inherently" Deadly Weapon Versus Assault with an Object Deadly "As Used"
Assault is an attempted battery. ( People v. Rocha (1971)
The more serious crime of aggravated assault in violation of Penal Code section 245 can be committed in a number of ways. Three types of aggravated assault are relevant here: (1) by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury, (2) by means of an inherently deadly weapon, and (3) by means of an object not designed to be a weapon but alleged to be a deadly weapon as used . The first and third type require a *685showing of the amount of force the defendant used during the assault. "[T]he jury's decisionmaking process in an aggravated assault case ... is functionally identical regardless of whether, in the particular case, the defendant employed a weapon alleged to be deadly as used or employed force likely to produce great bodily injury; in either instance, the decision turns on the nature of the force [the defendant] used ." ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1035,
A deadly weapon is any object specifically designed to produce death or great bodily injury. ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1029,
Thus, one can commit assault with an inherently deadly weapon simply by threatening injury on another, such as by holding a dagger or blackjack close to someone in a menacing manner or by swinging at them, and missing. It wouldn't matter how hard you swung or how close you got to your target. The fact you used an inherently deadly weapon in your attempt to injure *336someone is enough to warrant the conviction. (See, e.g., Simons , supra ,
What happens, then, if the object used in the assault is not designed to be a weapon? The California Supreme Court addressed this issue in Aguilar , observing that "[some] objects, while not deadly per se, may be used, under certain circumstances, in a manner likely to produce death or great bodily injury." ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1029,
The second part of the test, likelihood, focuses on how the defendant actually used the object. This inquiry "turns on the nature of the force used." ( *686Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1035,
The added likelihood inquiry for everyday objects makes sense. While "all aggravated assaults are ultimately determined based on the force likely *337to be applied against a person" ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1035,
B. The Record Contains No Evidence of Force "Likely to Produce" Great Bodily Injury
Regarding the first prong of the Aguilar test, a car key is unquestionably capable of producing great bodily injury, for example, if you use the pointed part to repeatedly pummel someone or stab at a vulnerable part of their body. Yet the majority spends most of their analysis on this completely obvious and uncontested point. They even survey out-of-state case law and self-defense websites to make it. (Maj. opn., ante , at pp. 681-82, fn. 3.) The result does not repay the effort. We're left where we started, knowing a car key could produce great bodily injury, but not knowing anything about how this defendant used this key.
The only question we have to answer on appeal is whether Koback actually used the key with force likely to produce death or great bodily injury. Here is the sum total of what we know about the key and the swing from trial. The key is one of the modern, electronic car keys, consisting of a round plastic fob and a wide metal shaft. The shaft is two inches long and tapers slightly to a rounded point. Unlike the older versions of car keys that tend to have sharp, jagged cuts, this key's cuts are smooth.
*687was throwing a punch." The swipe did not land-either because Koback was too far away or because one of the coworkers pulled the victim away in time. The victim said Koback "got scared and he left" immediately after swiping at him.
This evidence is even less meaningful than the testimony regarding force in Beasley , which the court determined was "far too cursory" to satisfy the *338likelihood or force-used test under Aguilar . ( Beasley , supra , 105 Cal.App.4th at p. 1087,
The same is true here. The record is silent on the amount of force involved in the swipe because the victim did not describe it in sufficient-or any-detail. Moreover, unlike in Beasley , Koback's conduct did not result in physical contact, so we cannot try to discern the amount of force from evidence of the impact. (See, e.g., People v. Brown (2012)
The majority simply ignores Beasley as inconvenient precedent, when it should explain why its holding is not dispositive of our case. Instead, they attempt to supply the missing evidence of force through hypothetical, arguing: "[T]here is nothing in the record to suggest defendant would not have continued to swing the car key at [the victim] if he and the other men had not backed off, or that defendant would only have swung at [the victim's] torso and would not have swung for his face or neck." (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 681.) This speculation is completely irrelevant to the likelihood, or force-used, analysis. It demonstrates only that a key can be used to injure. If it were permissible to make up stories about how the object was used, the court would have done so in Beasley , upholding the conviction by reasoning there was "nothing in the record to suggest defendant would not have" continued to beat the victim with the broomstick and, say, poked her in the eye with it.
Perhaps more important-and surely more egregious-the majority's speculation that "there is nothing in the record to suggest" Koback would not *339have swung more times misstates the evidence. The victim said Koback "got scared" after swiping at him and immediately fled. That testimony not only suggests but establishes that Koback would not have stuck around and launched a full scale attack on the employees. Moreover, contrary to what *688the majority's violent and overblown hypothetical suggests, the fact he fled strongly suggests he was not trying to gravely injure the victim by swiping at him. It is much more likely he was trying only to gain distance from his pursuers-like he had a few minutes earlier in the Enterprise parking lot by threatening to "fuck [them] up" if they didn't back away. Notably, Koback also fled during that first encounter.
The majority tries to sidestep the lack of evidence of force by evoking an aura of dangerousness around the event. They recount the details of the employees' first encounter with Koback in the Enterprise parking lot in great and unnecessary detail, noting how close he stood to them, how he told them he'd "fuck [them] up" if they didn't back off, and how he seemed to be getting "angry and agitated." (Maj. opn., ante , at pp. 678-79.) None of these facts matters to the issue actually in dispute-whether he swung the key with force likely to produce great bodily injury during the second , later encounter in the motel parking lot. While his actions during the first encounter may provide circumstantial evidence of his state of mind during the second, his state of mind is not in dispute. It is uncontested he intended to assault the victim. The issue is whether that assault was simple or aggravated, based on the force he used in wielding the key. ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1035,
"[T]he crime of assault has always focused on the nature of the act and not on the perpetrator's specific intent." ( People v. Williams (2001)
*340It should go without saying an appellate court may not fabricate the evidence to support a conviction when conducting a substantial evidence review. But that appears to be precisely what my colleagues are doing with their conjecture about what might have happened had Koback continued swinging. The majority also muses that we have no idea whether the victim's shirt was tucked in or whether he might have been wearing a second shirt underneath his company's polo shirt. (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 681.) True, there are many things we do not know about this incident, and anything is possible in a hypothetical. It's also possible Koback could have gravely injured the victim if he had shoved the key in his ear. But in reality, Koback did none of the things the majority mentions. He swung once at the victim's torso with unknown force , and fled. Whether he missed because he was too far away or because the victim was pulled aside is immaterial.
*689So is whether the victim was wearing an extra layer of clothing. Answering those questions would shed no light on the forcefulness of the swipe.
I recognize that in cases like this, where the defendant does not make contact with the victim during the assault, some form of speculation about what might have (but didn't) happen is required to determine whether the defendant used force "likely to produce" great bodily harm under Aguilar . ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1029,
In re D.T. (2015)
C. Simons Is Inapplicable
To uphold the conviction, the majority relies heavily on Simons , supra ,
The majority concludes Simons is dispositive of our case, reasoning, "[i]f using a screwdriver to fend off police officers from a distance is an assault with a deadly weapon, then forcefully swinging or swiping a car key from a short distance is also an assault with a deadly weapon." (Maj. opn., ante , at p. 683.) First of all, the majority seems to have missed or forgotten that Simons is not an aggravated assault case, but putting that mischaracterization aside, their comparison is still inapt. What matters in a Penal Code section 417.8 case is the defendant's intent -that is, whether he or she brandished a dangerous object at a police officer as a means of evading arrest. In other words, Penal Code section 417.8 is concerned with protecting police officers from injury when making arrests and, as a result, punishes those who would exhibit a dangerous object during an arrest with the intent to use it if need be. As-used aggravated assaults, by contrast, depend entirely on the type of force used. A person is guilty of as-used aggravated assault only if they wield the typically innocuous object "in a manner likely to" cause serious harm. ( Aguilar , supra , 16 Cal.4th at p. 1029,
The source of the majority's mistake in relying on Simons appears to be People v. Page (2004)
As just explained, because exhibiting a deadly weapon to evade arrest does not require the use of force likely to inflict great bodily harm, the Simons test does not apply to as-used aggravated assaults. However, unlike here, the Page court's incorrect analysis did not result in an improper conviction. Had the court applied the Aguilar test instead of the Simons test, it could have properly concluded, like the court did in In re D.T. , that "a sudden distraction or misstep" likely would have "resulted in a serious puncture wound" to the victim's neck. In other words, it would have been reasonable for Page to conclude that grave injury is likely when one holds a sharp object to a vulnerable part of the body during a tense encounter like a robbery, when things can take a wrong turn at any given moment. Here, in contrast, we cannot say with any confidence that Koback's swinging motion threatened a similar risk of serious injury.
What our case boils down to is a single swipe of a car key at a person's clothed torso from a few feet away with unknown force. No other court has upheld an aggravated assault conviction on such scant evidence. A survey of the published cases where everyday items were found to have been used in a manner likely to kill or severely injure is illustrative of what an aberration this case is. In People v. Russell (1943)
I realize comparison to cases with stronger facts can be of limited value in a substantial evidence review, however I believe these cases demonstrate *343what constitutes sufficient evidence of force in cases of aggravated assault with everyday objects . In each, the object was actually used in a manner likely to produce great bodily injury. And in most, the victims sustained injuries. Given Koback swung once at the victim's clothed torso, he would have had to use quite a great deal of force to produce death or great bodily injury with the key, and the trial testimony is simply insufficient to show he did.
I have found only one case where the everyday item held to have been used as a deadly weapon never made contact with the victim , and that case is easily distinguishable. In In re Jose R. (1982)
III
CONCLUSION
I cannot join an opinion that relies on inapplicable case law and hypothesizes factual scenarios not supported by the record to reach its result. Koback did not continue swiping the key at the victim and did not aim for his face or neck. He swung once at his torso from a few feet away. Because the record contains no evidence he did so with force "likely to produce" death or great bodily injury, he should not be guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. There is, however, sufficient evidence he committed the lesser included offense of simple assault, so I would reduce his conviction to that offense. ( Beasley , supra , 105 Cal.App.4th at p. 1088,
We reviewed the photograph of the key the prosecution submitted to the jury.
Arguably, the defendant in In re D.T. was guilty of assault with an inherently dangerous weapon, as the pocketknife was specifically designed to be sharp enough to cut through materials more resilient than skin, but the court treated the offense as an as-used aggravated assault.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.