Opinion ID: 2621477
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: application to matthew o'neill

Text: I agree with the majority that O'Neill was seized by the time Sergeant West ordered him out of the vehicle. Majority at 499. Objectively viewing Sergeant West's order from O'Neill's perspective, no reasonable person would have felt free to leave or end the encounter at that point. Having concluded that a seizure has occurred, we must go to the next step and determine if the seizure was permissible under article I, section 7.
Sergeant West did not obtain a warrant before seizing O'Neill; therefore, we continue with our analysis to determine whether the seizure was permissible under a common law exception to the warrant requirement. 1. Community Caretaking Exception Although the community caretaking exception recognizes the public interest in having law enforcement officials assist stranded motorists, and O'Neill was a stranded motorist, it is not applicable in this case. Our analysis of the community caretaking exception in this case should begin and end with the first prong: determining whether Sergeant West's actions were totally divorced from an investigative function. See Kinzy, 141 Wash.2d at 385, 5 P.3d 668. From the beginning Sergeant West's actions were for the purpose of investigating a potential burglary at the minimart. Moreover, there is no evidence that Sergeant West offered to assist O'Neill with his vehicle. Instead, Sergeant West requested that O'Neill start the vehicle and then ordered him out of the vehicle to verify his credibility. Because Sergeant West's actions were investigatory, we need not reach the second prong and weigh the public's interest against O'Neill's interest. Consequently, the community caretaking exception does not provide the authority of law necessary to justify the warrantless seizure of O'Neill.