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California Penal Code Section 402

Legal Research Home > California Laws > Penal Code > California Penal Code Section 402

(a) Every person who goes to the scene of an emergency, or
stops at the scene of an emergency, for the purpose of viewing the
scene or the activities of police officers, firefighters, emergency
medical, or other emergency personnel, or military personnel coping
with the emergency in the course of their duties during the time it
is necessary for emergency vehicles or those personnel to be at the
scene of the emergency or to be moving to or from the scene of the
emergency for the purpose of protecting lives or property, unless it
is part of the duties of that person's employment to view that scene
or activities, and thereby impedes police officers, firefighters,
emergency medical, or other emergency personnel or military
personnel, in the performance of their duties in coping with the
emergency, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
   (b) Every person who knowingly resists or interferes with the
lawful efforts of a lifeguard in the discharge or attempted discharge
of an official duty in an emergency situation, when the person knows
or reasonably should know that the lifeguard is engaged in the
performance of his or her official duty, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
   (c) For the purposes of this section, an emergency includes a
condition or situation involving injury to persons, damage to
property, or peril to the safety of persons or property, which
results from a fire, an explosion, an airplane crash, flooding,
windstorm damage, a railroad accident, a traffic accident, a power
plant accident, a toxic chemical or biological spill, or any other
natural or human-caused event.

Last modified: February 13, 2012