2 COUNTS of AGGRAVATED ASSAULT DANGEROUS (Stabbed Victim twice with Knife), and 1 COUNT of LEADING a CRIMINAL STREET GANG REDUCED to ASSISTING a CRIMINAL STREET GANG with PROBATION and ZERO DAYS in JAIL – State v. Mr. L (DMC No. 8979) (Maricopa County Superior Court CR2008-176703): Mr. L was at a Walgreens store in West Phoenix with a group of friends known to be White Supremacists (i.e. “skin heads”). A verbal altercation began with some other people in the Walgreens that spilled out into the street. The man was surrounded and was eventually stabbed twice by somebody in the group. Mr. L was later arrested (with others) and charged with 2 counts of Aggravated Assault Dangerous and 1 count of Leading a Criminal Street Gang per Arizona revised statute 13-2301.
We were able to show the Prosecutor that Mr. L was not the one that actually stabbed the victim. We also could show that Mr. L was not the leader of the group. One of the other members had numerous convictions for Leading a Criminal Street Gang. We also showed that Mr. L was no longer involved in this type of behavior. The Prosecutor offered a plea to Assisting a Criminal Street Gang, and the Judge sentenced Mr. L to Probation with zero days in jail. The other members of the group were not so lucky.