N O T FO R PUB L ICAT IO N UNITED STATES C OUR T OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH C IR C UIT TR AC EY POPE, Plaintiff - Appe lla nt, v. LAS VEGAS M ETR OPOLITAN POLIC E DEPAR TM ENT; R

ANDY SORENSEN, De fe nda

nts - Appe lle e s. No. 14-15576 D.C . No. 2:12-c v-01867-LDGPAL M EM O R ANDUM *

Appe a l from

the Unite d

Stat e s Distric t C ourt for the Distric t of Ne v a da L loy d D. Ge orge , Se nior Distric t Judge , Pre siding Argue d a nd Subm itte d M arc h

15, 2016 San Fran c isc o , C a lifornia B e fore : FER

NANDEZ, GOULD, a

nd FR IEDLAND, C i rc u it Judge s. Tra c e y Pope a ppe a ls the distric t c ourt’ s gra n t of sum m ary judgm e nt in his 42 U.S.C . § 1983 a c tion a lle ging tha t Offic e r R andy

Sore nse n of the La s Ve ga s M e t ropolita n Polic e De pa

rtm e nt (LVM PD) use d e x c e s sive forc e in a rre sting him on suspic ion tha

t Pope wa s driving under the influe nc e . Pope a lso c ha lle nge s the 

# FIL ED APR 11 2016 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S . CO URT O F APPEALS

* This disposition is not a ppropria te for public at ion a

nd is not pre c e de nt e xc e pt a s provide d

by 9th C ir. R . 36-3.distric t c o urt’ s e x c lusion of se ve ra l sta te m e nts in Pope ’ s m e dic a l file s a s he arsay . W e hav e jurisdic tion unde r 28 U.S.C . § 1291, a nd we a ffirm . Pope ha s live d with a spina l c ord injury sinc e 1980 tha

t lim its his a

bility to wa lk. He a lle ge s tha

t Offic e r Sore n se n use d e xc e ssive forc e in a rre sting him , whic h re sulte d in a c o m

pre s sion fra c ture in his lum ba r spine . He furthe r a l le ge s that LVM PD initia lly

justifie d the use of forc e by

insisting tha

t Pope ran a

way from polic e , but tha

t offic e rs c h ange d the ir a c c ount whe n the y re a liz e d tha t Pope wa s disa b le d. Pope points to note s in his m e dic a l re c o rd, tra nsc ribe d by

his he a lth c are provide rs at

Sunrise Hospita l, tha

t an unna m e d polic e se rge ant a

nd Em e rge nc y M e d ic a l Se rvic e s (EM S) pe rsonne l told the s e provide rs tha t Pope ha d run from polic e and wa s ta c kle d. Pope ha s no m e m ory

of the e ve nts of thearre st, a nd he only

brie fly re c a lls his initial inte ra c tion with polic e . Offic e r Sore nse n’ s a c c ount of e ve nts is de ta ile d in his useof forc e re port a nd a ffidavit. Ac c ording to Offic e r Sore nse n, Pope a ppe are d to be intoxic ate d at the sc e ne , re fuse d to follow instructions, a nd pa tte d his ha nds a round his wa istba

nd. Offic e r Sore nse n furthe r a lle ge d tha t whe n he trie d to ha ndc uff Pope , Pope re siste d, a nd Offic e r Sore nse n re sponde d by ta king Pope to the ground “ with a c ontrolle d ta

ke down.” Offic e r Sore nse n c la im s tha t he the n re c ove re d a

gun from Pope ’ s wa istba

nd. 2Although Offic e r Sore n s e n’ s a c c ount is c ontra dic te d by se v e ra l of the sta te m e nts c onta i ne d in Pope ’ s m e dic a l re c ords, we c o nc l ude tha t the distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion by

e xc luding them e dic a l re c ord sta te m e nts a s he arsay . The re produc tions of sta

te m e nts a ttribute d to LVM PD and EM S in the m e dic a l re c o rds a re he arsay

be c a use the se the y

are be ing offe re d for the truth of them atte r a sse rte d, i.e . , tha

t LVM PD and EM S m a de the se sta te m e nts. Se e Lare

z v . C ity of Los Ange le

s , 946 F.2d 630, 642 (9th C ir. 1991). The se he arsa

y sta t e m e nts a re ina dm issiblebe c a

use the y do not fa l l unde r any of the he arsay

e xc e ptions. Popeha s not de m onstra t e d tha t the sta te m e nts we re re c o rde d by

Sunrise sta ff “ for m e dic a l dia gnosis or tre atm e nt” unde r Fe d. R . Evid. 803(4). Sim ila

rly , Pope ha s not shown tha t the sta te m e nts fa l l unde r the “ re c ords of a re gula rly c onduc te d a c tivity ” e xc e ption. Fe d. R . Evid. 803(6). Under the rule s in e ffe c t whe n the distric t c ourt gra n t e d sum m ary judgm e nt, this e x c e p tion re quire d tha

t “ ne ithe r the sourc e of inform ation nor them e thod or c irc um sta nc e s of pre p aration indic ate a

la c k of trustworthine ss.” Fe d. R . Evid. 803(6)(E) (2014). The distric t c ourt found tha t the sta te m e nts did not me e t this re quire m e nt be c a use the s ourc e s of the sta

te m e nts we re am

biguous. W e c onc lude tha t the distric t c ourt did not a buse its disc re tion in e xc luding the se sta te m e nts on the se grounds.

3W e re vie w d e nov o the re m a ining e vide nc e in the light m ost fa vora ble to Pope to de te rm ine whe the r the re we re any ge nuine issue s of m ate ria l fa c t re ga rding his e xc e ssive forc e c la im . Se eOlse n v . Idaho State Bd. of Me d

. , 363 F.3d 916, 922 (9th C ir. 2004). Pope ’ s la c k of re c olle c tion of thearre st doe s not m e an tha t his c la im fa ils a s a m atte r of la

w. Santos v . Gate

s , 287 F.3d 846, 851 (9th C ir. 2002). His c la im fa ils be c a

use the re is no ge nuine issue of m at e ria l fa c t re ga rding the e ve nts of his a

rre st. Pope ha s offe re d

no a dm issiblee vide nc e — dire c t or c irc um s ta ntia l— that c ontra dic ts Offic e r Sore nse n ’ s e xpla nat ion of the “ c ontrolle d take down.” C

f. id. at 8 5 2. Offic e r Sore n se n’ s a c c ount of thearre st— the only one ava ila

ble to us— indic ate s tha

t the use of forc e wa s re a s ona ble . 1 Unde r Graham v . C o nne r , the re le va nt fa c tors in e v a luat ing the use of forc e inc lude the se ve rity of Pope ’ s a lle ge d c rim ina l c onduc t, whe the r Pope pose d a n im m e diate thre at to Offic e r Sore nse n, and whe the r Pope re siste d a rre s t. 490 U.S. 386, 396 (1989). W e have pre viously re c o gniz e d tha

t driving under the influe nc e is a “ se rious” c rim e . Se e Unite d State s

1 Pope argue s tha

t e ve n e xc luding the sta

te m e nts in his me dic a l re c ords, he ha s shown suffic ie nt inte rna l inc onsiste nc ie s in Offic e r Sore nse n ’ s a c c o unt to c re ate a tria ble issue a s to whe the r his ve rsion of thee ve nts wa s c re d ible . W e disa gre e . The m inor inc onsiste nc ie s tha t Pope points to, such

a s use of a va gue “ [s] e a rc he d for c itiz e n” c ode in the inc ide nt re p ort, a re insuffic ie nt to “ c a s t doubt on” Sore nse n’ s c re dibility . C ruz v . C ity of Anahe i m , 765 F.3d 1076, 1080 (9th C ir. 2014). 4v . C

rane r , 652 F.2d 23, 26 (9th C ir. 1981). Also, Offic e r Sore nse n’ s a c c ount indic ate s tha

t Pope obje c tive ly pose d

a thre at, the “ m ost im

porta nt singlee le m e nt” in a n a ly z ing the use of forc e . Smith v . C ity of He me t , 394 F.3d 689, 702 (9th C ir. 2005) (e n ba

nc ) (quoting C

he w v . Gate s , 27 F.3d 1432, 1441 (9th C i r. 1994)). B e c a use Pope wa s re a c hing into his c ar an d a round his wa ist, Offic e r Sore nse n re a s ona bly be lie v e d tha

t Pope wa s se arc hing for a we a pon. Se e C

ruz v . C i ty of Anahe im , 765 F.3d 1076, 1078–79 (9th C ir. 2014). Fina lly , Offic e r Sore nse n c la im s tha

t Pope re s iste d a

rre st. Ta ke n toge the r, the se e le m e nts indic ate tha t Offic e r Sore n se n’ s de c ision to ta ke Pope to the ground in a “ c ontrolle d” m anne r wa s not e xc e ssive . 2 The distric t c ourt’ s gra nt of sum m ary judgm e nt m

ust be a ffirm e d. AFFIRM E D.

2 LVM PD introduc e d e vide nc e tha t in light of Pope ’ s pre -e xisting fra c ture and de ge n e ra tive spina l c ondition, his injurie s we re “ c onsiste nt with a sim ple take down.” C

f. Santos , 287 F.3d a

t 852. Them e dic a l re c ords introduc e d by Pope do not c o ntra dic t this a c c ount, whic h distinguishe s this c a se from Ting v . Unite d State s , 927 F.2d 1504, 1510 (9th C ir. 1991). 5