2010 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 7-6-2010 

# U SA v . R a ymond H orne P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 09-4639

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fort he D i s t r i ctof N ew J er s ey ( D . C . N o. 09- cr - 00521) D i s t r i ctJ udge: H onor abl e G arr ettE . B r ow n, J uni or

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o rv i o l a t i n g 1 8 U. S . C. § 9 2 2 (g )( 1 ). H o rn e c la im s th e D is tr ic t C o u rt e rr e d w h e n it d e n ie d h is m o tio n to s u p p re s s . W e wi l l a f

f i r m. I. B e c a u s e w e w ri te f

o r t h e p a rt ie s , w e re c ite o n ly th e e s s e n tia l f a c ts . T he Fel i x Ful d publ i c hous i ng compl ex, al s o know n as “Li t t l e B r i cks , ” i s l ocat ed i n a hi gh- cr i m e ar ea of

N ew ark, N ew J er s ey . I n t he eve ni ng of February15, 2009, H or ne dr ove t o L i t t l e B r i cks t o dr op off r el at i ves w ho l i ved ther e, and t o vi s i tbr i efl yw i t h ot her f a m ilym e m b e rs. H o rn e lef t th e c o m p lex a t ab o u t 1 1 :3 0 p .m ., c a rry in g h is c a r k e y s in h is r i ghtpant s pocketand a . 25- cal i bers emi aut om at i c handgun i n t he r i ghtl ow erpocketof hi s hooded s w eat s hi r t . H or ne w as r eturni ng t o hi s car , w al ki ng acr os s the Li t t l e B r i cks cour t y ar d and parki ng l ot , w hen he w as s pot t ed bytw o pl ai ncl othes N ew ark pol i ce offi cer s dr i vi ng pas tt he compl ex i n an unmar ked cons t ruct i on van. A t th is p o in t th e p a rt ie s ’ v e rs io n s o f th e f a c ts d iv e rg e . D e te c tiv e P e d ro T o rr e s , a 13- y earvet er an of the N ew ark Pol i ce D epart m ent , s t at ed thathe and hi s part nerw er e on p a tr o l d ri v in g v e ry sl o w ly w h ile lo o k in g f o r i llic it a c tiv ity in th e L ittle B ri c k s c o m p le x . A s T or r es and hi s par t nerdr ove by , theycoul d s ee H orne maki ng hi s w aythr ough t he i l l um i nated parki ng l ot, and sl ow ed fu rther t o take a l oo k at hi m . A ccordi ng t o T orr es, H o rn e slo w e d h is w a lk , sta re d a t th e v a n a n d its o c c u p a n ts, a n d “ k in d o f lik e ju st p u t h is3

hand on [hi s ] s i de w hi ch l ed us t o bel i eve thathe mayhave a gun ortr y i ng t o s how us t hat he mayhave a gun t o i nt i m i dat e us . ” Torr es not ed thati n hi gh cr i m e ar eas , he had p re v io u slyb e e n m ista k e n f o r a ro b b e r w h ile d riv in g in a n u n m a rk e d v a n a n d d re ss e d in pl ai ncl ot hes . B as ed on hi s t r ai ni ng and expe r i ence , as w el l as the t ot al i t yof the s i tuat i on c o n f r o n t i n g h i m, T o r r e s s t a t e d : “ I t o o k [ Ho r n e ’ s a c t i o n s ] a s — h e p r o b a b l yth o u g h twe w er e ther e t o r ob hi m ordo s om ethi ng and he de m ons t r at ed t o us thathe had a w eapon and he w as r eady . ” Torr es and hi s par t nerthen j um ped outof the van w i t h w eapons dr aw n, and ef

fec t ed the s t op t hatr es ul t ed i n t he di s coveryof H orne’ s gun. H o rn e , b yc o n tra st, tes tifie d th a t h e to o k n o n o tice o f th e u n m a rk e d p o lice v a n u n til t he off i cer s emer ged fr om i t . H e al s o s t at ed thathi s onl ym ot i on t ow ar ds hi s r i ghts i de w a s to re a c h in to h is p a n ts p o c k e t, gr a b h is c a r k e y s, a n d p u sh th e b u tto n th a t w o u ld u n l o c k h i s c a rd o o r s r e m o t e l y. II. H o rn e ’s s o le c laim o n a p p e a l is th a t th e D istric t C o u rt sh o u ld h a v e su p p re ss e d h is gun beca us e the i nves t i gat i ve s t op t o w hi ch he w as s ubj ect ed w as nots uppor t ed by r eas onabl e art i cul abl e s us pi ci on. W e r evi ew the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s fac tual fi ndi ngs forcl ear err or , gi vi ng “due w ei ghtt o i nfer ence s dr aw n fr om thos e fa ct s byr es i dentj udges and l ocal l aw enfor cementoffi cer s . ” O r nelas v. U ni t ed Stat es , 5 1 7 U . S . 6 9 0 , 6 9 9 ( 1 9 9 6 ) . We r e v i e w de novo t he D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s ul t i m at e det erm i nat i on as t o t he exi s t ence of re a s o n a b le s u s p ic io n . I d.T h e law o f N ew Jerse yinclu d es a p resu m p ti o n that a p erso n ca rry ing a f ir ea rm 1 l acks a perm i tt o do s o. N . J . St at . A nn. § 2C : 39- 2( b) . W e have pr evi ous l yr es erved j udgm entas t o “underw hatci r cumst ance s N ew J er s ey ’ s pr es um pt i on w oul d pr ovi de r eas onabl e s us pi ci on fora Ter r y s t op. ” U

ni t ed Stat es v. V

al ent i ne , 232 F. 3d 350, 357 ( 3d C i r . 2000) . T aken a tfac e val ue, how ever , the pr es um pt i on w oul d di ct at e thatw hen pol i ce i n N ew J er s eyr eas onabl ys us pectt hata per s on i s carr y i ng a fi r earm , theyal s o have re a so n a b le s u sp icio n th a t h e is c o m m itt in g a c rim e u n les s th e c irc u m sta n c e s a f f irm a tiv e ly su g g e st h e h a s a p e rm it. 4 T he D i s t r i ctC our tfound cr edi bl e D et ect i ve Torr es ’ s s t at ement s thatH orne s t ar ed att he van a nd “hel d ont o hi s r i ghts i de, as though he w as i ndi cat i ng t o t he per s on or peopl e i n t he van thathe had a w eapon, ” i n an att empt t o “i nt i m i dat [e] ” the occ upant s of th e v a n a n d “ c o m m u n ica te . . . th a t th e ysh o u ld sta ya w a yf ro m h im .” In lig h t o f

th is “nervous oreven i nt ent i onal ges tur e t o hi s r i ghts i de, ” as w el l as the l at e hourof the ni ght an d the p rev alen ce o f c ri m e in th e a rea , the D istri ct C o u rtfo u n d that the o ff icers pos s es s ed r eas onabl e s us pi ci on t o m ake a n i nves t i gat i ve s t op. O n appea l , H orne does 1 notchal l enge the D i s t r i ctC our t ’ s fac tual fi ndi ngs ; i ns t ead, he mai nt ai ns thathi s conduct w as nots uffi ci entt o j us t i fyt he i nves t i gat orys t op. “[A ] n offi cerm ay , cons i s t entw i t h t he Four t h A m endment , conducta br i ef, i nves t i gat or ys t op w hen the off i cerhas a r eas onabl e, ar t i cul abl e s us pi ci on thatcr i m i nal act i vi t yi s afoot . ” I

l l i nois v. W

ar dl ow , 528 U . S. 119, 123 ( 2000) ( ci t i ng T e rr y v . O h io , 392 U . S. 1, 30 ( 1968) ) . T he r equi s i t e “l evel of s us pi ci on i s cons i der abl yl es s than pr oof of w r ongdoi ng bya pr eponder ance of the evi dence . ” U ni t ed Stat es v. Sokol ow , 49 0 U. S. 1, 7 ( 1989) . I n det erm i ni ng w hetherr eas onabl e s us pi ci on exi s t s , “the t ot al i t yof theW e al s o not e thatt he D i s t r i ctC our thad the bene fi tof phy s i cal demonstr at i ons by 2 b o th T o rre s a n d H o rn e o f p re c ise lyth e typ e s o f

m o tio n s th a t H o rn e m a d e d u rin g th e ir e n c o u n t e r , a n d d e t e r m i n e d t h a tT o r r e s r e a s o n a b l yc o n c l u d e d th a tH o r n e w a s a r m e d . We a re e sp e c iallylo a th e to se c o n d -g u e ss th e f a c tu a l f in d in g s o f

trial c o u rts w h e n , as in th is cas e, t hos e fi ndi ngs w er e made fol l ow i ng i n- cour tm ovement s and ges tur es that s u p p l e m e n t e d t h e v e rb a l t e s t i m o n y. 5 ci r cumst ance s — t he w hol e pi ctur e— m us tbe t aken i nt o acc ount . ” U ni t ed Stat es v. C or t ez , 4 4 9 U .S . 4 1 1 , 4 1 7 (1 9 8 1 ). E v e n a se rie s o f law f u l ac ts o r o c c u rre n c e s m a yg iv e rise to re a s o n a b le s u s p ic io n . W ar dl ow , 528 U . S. at125 ( ci t i ng T erry , 3 9 2 U .S . a t 5 -6 , 3 0 ). A s us pect ’ s “nervous , evas i ve beha vi ori s a pert i nentfac t or , ” W ar dl ow , 528 U . S. at124 (c ita tio n s o m itte d ), a s is th e f a c t th a t th e e n c o u n te r o c c u rs in a h ig h -c ri m e a re a , i d. at124, a n d th e tim e o f

d a ya t w h ic h it o c c u rs , i d. at129 ( St evens , J . , concurr i ng i n par tand di s s ent i ng i n par t ) . Pol i ce a r e perm i t t ed t o “dr aw on t hei row n exper i ence and s peci al i zed t r ai ni ng t o m ake i nfer ence s fr om and deduc t i ons aboutthe cumul at i ve i nform at i on av ail ab le t o them that ‘m igh t w ell elud e a n u n tr aine d p erso n . ’” U nited S tates v. A rvi

zu , 534 U . S. 266, 273 ( 2002) ( quot i ng C or t ez , 4 4 9 U . S . at 41 8 ). H e re , H o rn e p re se n ts th e c a se a s if D e tec tiv e T o rre s te stif

ied th a t H o rn e m e re ly s t ar ed att he van a nd r eac hed t o hi s s i de. B utD et ect i ve Torr es t es t i fi ed— and the D i s tr i ct C our tfound— notonl yt hatH or ne s t ar ed and r eac hed t o hi s s i de, butthathe s t ar ed i n an i nt i m i dat i ng w ayand mot i oned as i f he ha d a gun. I n l i ghtof the l at e hourand the pr eval ence of cr i m e i n t he nei ghborhood, thi s i s pr eci s el ythe type of i nfer ence that De t e c t i v e T o r r e s ’ s 1 3 y e a r s o f e x p e r i e n c e e n t i t l e d h i m t o d r a w. See i d. 26

Fort hes e r eas ons , t he D i s t r i ctC our tdi d notcl ear l yerrw hen i tfound thatH or ne a c ted a s if

h e ill e g a llyp o ss e ss e d a g u n . B e c a u se th e re w a s n o c lea r e rro r re g a rd in g th is fac t , i tfol l ow s t hatpol i ce ha d r eas onabl e art i cul abl e s us pi ci on t o j us t i fya T erry s to p . A ccor di ngl y , w e w i l l aff i r m H or ne’ s j udgm entof convi ct i on.