Early on Friday, November 4th, Santa Clarita deputies received a call alleging that someone in a silver Mercedes had pointed a gun at the caller. Deputies searched for the car starting at around 2:30 pm, but weren’t initially able to locate it. As luck would have it, a couple deputies came across a silver Mercedes in a parking lot. Upon running the plates, deputies learned that the vehicle was stolen and quickly ordered three people out of the car.
As it turned out, the stolen Mercedes was the same car that deputies received a report about earlier. When they searched the vehicle, they found the “gun,” which turned out not to be real. It was actually a lighter in the shape of a semi-automatic handgun. The three suspects were arrested under suspicion of grand theft auto.
Grand theft auto is covered under California Penal Code 487d1 PC and is described as taking a vehicle permanently, or for a substantial period of time, without the owner’s permission. When someone steals a car for a short period of time, or doesn’t intend to keep it, they can be charged with a different crime, namely California Vehicle Code 10851 – otherwise known as “joyriding.”
Both grand theft auto and “joyriding” are wobblers, meaning that they can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the circumstances of the case. Most of the time, grand theft auto is charged as a felony, with the possible penalties of 16 months to 3 years in jail, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. If the vehicle stolen was worth more than $65,000, defendants face an additional year in jail. If it was worth more than $200,000, an additional 2 years could be added on to the sentence.
For “joyriding,” the possible penalties include up to 1 year in county jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
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