Opinion ID: 4525522
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Tynes Had Reasonable Suspicion to Stop Cephas

Text: Tynes also had “a particularized and objective basis” for believing that Cephas and his companion were engaged in criminal activity. United States v. Goodrich, 450 F.3d 552, 560 (3d Cir. 2006). Cephas argues that Tynes lacked reasonable suspicion because he did 5 not observe drug activity when he arrived on the scene. And Cephas notes the men’s clothing did not perfectly match the tipster’s description.3 But the totality of the facts tell a different story. Cephas and his companion were the only two individuals at the intersection. See Goodrich, 450 F.3d at 562–63. The location was in a “[h]igh-drug, high-crime area.” (App. at 97.) See United States v. Valentine, 232 F.3d 350, 356–57 (3d Cir. 2000). And Tynes’s interaction with Cephas began less than fifteen minutes after police received the tip. See Goodrich, 450 F.3d at 562. And we cannot ignore Cephas’s attempt to walk away from Tynes after their initial interaction. Tynes thought it was “odd” that Cephas would walk into the house while Tynes was holding his identification, and believed Cephas might have been “trying to escape” or “to get rid of” contraband. (App. at 106–08.) Tynes was also concerned for his safety, and wondered whether Cephas was “retrieving a weapon” or “[c]all[ing] more people outside the house” to “surround[]” him. (App. at 107.) Taken together, it is reasonable to interpret Cephas’s action as “nervous, evasive behavior.” Wardlow, 528 U.S. at 124. And looking at the “totality of circumstances,” reasonable suspicion existed for the stop. Johnson, 592 F.3d at 449. 3 The tipster said that one of the men “was wearing blue jeans and a gray shirt, and the other . . . a white shirt and white shorts.” (App. at 77.) The District Court found that the tipster’s sartorial description was accurate on “three out of the four items of clothing” mentioned, but does not specify which item was erroneously described. (App. at 13.) Cephas asserts that both he and the other man were wearing black pants, but does not otherwise challenge the tip’s accuracy. 6