Full Opinion

Filed 11/12/26 P. v. Knight CA2/8 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT DIVISION EIGHT THE PEOPLE, B347172 Plaintiff and Respondent, (Los Angeles County Super. Ct. No. BA516569) v. COREY KNIGHT, Defendant and Appellant. APPEAL from a judgment of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. Richard S. Kemalyan, Judge. Affirmed. Marta I. Stanton, under appointment by the Court of Appeal, for Defendant and Appellant. No appearance for Plaintiff and Respondent. _________________________________ Corey Knight appeals from his judgment of conviction of various theft-related offenses. Knight’s appellate counsel filed a brief asking this court to proceed under People v. Wende (1979) 25 Cal.3d 436 (Wende). We affirm. In an amended information, Knight was charged with four counts of second degree robbery (Pen. Code, § 211;1 counts 1–4), one count of attempted grand theft (§§ 664, 487, subd. (a); count 6), one count of second degree burglary (§ 459; count 7), and one count of misdemeanor shoplifting (§ 459.5; count 8). The information also alleged one prior strike conviction (§§ 667, subd. (d), 1170.12, subd. (b)) and various aggravating factors (Cal. Rules of Court, rule 4.421(a), (b)). The case was tried to a jury starting in February 2024. At trial, the People presented evidence that Knight committed a series of theft-related offenses at Macy’s stores in Los Angeles County between January and April 2023. On January 4, 2023, Knight entered a Macy’s in Eagle Rock carrying empty shopping bags and placed Chanel fragrance sets valued at $940 inside his bags. Knight then walked toward the exit without paying for the items. David Story, an asset protection manager at Macy’s, observed and followed Knight. After Story made eye contact with him, Knight removed the fragrance sets from his bags, placed them on a nearby display, and then walked out of the store. As Knight was leaving, he told Story that he would be going to another store, and that he always gets what he wants. 1 Unless otherwise stated, all further statutory references are to the Penal Code. 2 On February 7, 2023, Knight returned to the Macy’s in Eagle Rock, and this time, placed Chanel fragrance sets valued at $980 inside his bags. Story again followed Knight as he attempted to leave without paying for the items and made eye contact with him. Knight then removed the items from his bags, placed them on a counter, and left the store. On February 17, 2023, Knight went back to the Macy’s in Eagle Rock, and placed five Chanel fragrance sets valued at $1,070 inside his bag. When a Macy’s sales associate approached him, Knight removed two of the fragrance sets from his bag, and ran out of the store with the remaining three sets. On February 19, 2023, Knight again entered the Macy’s in Eagle Rock, and placed multiple Chanel fragrance sets inside an empty tote bag. Rodrik Gregorian, an asset protection detective at Macy’s, made contact with Knight and directed him to drop the merchandise. When Gregorian grabbed Knight by the shoulders, Knight swung the bag filled with fragrance sets at Gregorian, striking him on the head. The bag ripped open, and the items inside fell to the floor. As an injured Gregorian backed away, Knight grabbed three more Chanel fragrance sets and left the store with those items. On March 30, 2023, Knight returned to the Macy’s in Eagle Rock. Knight initially grabbed a Chanel fragrance set, but each of the Chanel boxes on display had been emptied at Gregorian’s direction. Knight left the store, but came back a short time later. He then placed three Prada fragrance sets inside his bag and began to walk away. Gregorian followed Knight inside the store and asked if he was going to pay for the merchandise. In response, Knight reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade knife. Knight told Gregorian, “If you follow me 3 outside and touch me, I will kill you for the merchandise.” At that point, Gregorian was afraid and decided not to pursue Knight. Knight then left the store with the stolen items. On April 15, 2023, Knight entered a different Macy’s store in Century City and proceeded to place three fragrance sets in empty bags. Joshua Rose, an asset protection captain at Macy’s, followed Knight as he exited the store without paying and asked him for the merchandise. Knight handed Rose one of the fragrance sets, but refused to provide the other two, claiming that he obtained them from a Chanel store. Rose again asked for the merchandise and attempted to grab one of the bags from Knight, but Knight snatched it back. Knight also reached inside a crossbody bag that he was wearing, and said to Rose, “Don’t make me pull something out.” Fearing for his safety, Rose took a step back. Knight then forcibly pushed Rose out of the way and fled the scene. On April 25, 2023, Knight made another visit to the Macy’s store in Eagle Rock. Ivy Garcia, an asset protection manager at Macy’s, recognized Knight from prior encounters in the store and approached him. Knight placed multiple Yves Saint Laurent fragrance sets inside his bag. As Knight was taking the items, he turned to Garcia and said, “You better not touch me. If you care about your life, you’re not going to fucking touch me.” Knight then headed toward the exit. Garcia followed and tried to grab the bag from Knight as he pushed her with his body. During the ensuing struggle, the bag ripped open and the items fell to the ground. Knight told Garcia, “Man, I’m gonna go grab anything I want. You’re not gonna stop me.” When Garcia tried to block Knight from reentering the store, he again pushed her. Knight then fled on foot with two of the fragrance sets as one of Garcia’s 4 colleagues called the police. A short time later, officers responding to the scene saw a person matching the description of the suspect at a bus stop. The officers arrested Knight, and found two fragrance sets on a nearby bench. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Knight guilty of each of the charged counts. In bifurcated proceedings, the trial court found the prior strike allegation and four aggravating factor allegations to be true. The trial court sentenced Knight to a total term of nine years in state prison, consisting of the middle term of three years doubled to six years on count 1, and consecutive terms of one year each on counts 2, 3, and 4. The court imposed concurrent terms on counts 6, 7, and 8. The court granted Knight a total of 848 days of custody credits, consisting of 737 days of actual custody credit and 111 days of conduct credit. On June 17, 2025, Knight filed a timely notice of appeal. We appointed counsel to represent Knight on appeal. After an examination of the record, appellate counsel filed an opening brief which raised no issues and requested this court conduct an independent review of the record pursuant to Wende, supra, 25 Cal.3d 436. On June 24, 2026, we advised Knight that he had 30 days in which to submit a supplemental brief stating any grounds for appeal or arguments he wished for this court to consider. Knight did not submit a supplemental brief. We have examined the record and are satisfied Knight’s appellate attorney has fully complied with the responsibilities of counsel and no arguable issues exist. (People v. Kelly (2006) 40 Cal.4th 106, 119; Wende, supra, 25 Cal.3d at p. 441.) 5 DISPOSITION The judgment is affirmed. VIRAMONTES, J. WE CONCUR: WILEY, Acting P. J. SCHERB, J. 6