Opinion ID: 596479
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Illegal Seizure

Text: 10 The Fourth Amendment's protection against 'unreasonable ... seizures' extends to seizures of the person, as well as seizures of property. United States v. Jordan, 951 F.2d 1278, 1281 (D.C.Cir.1991). It is also well understood that an individual may be unlawfully seized if restrained either by physical force or show of authority. Terry, 392 U.S. at 19 n. 16, 88 S.Ct. at 1879 n. 16. The question whether an individual has been seized raises a legal issue which we review de novo. Jordan, 951 F.2d at 1281; United States v. Maragh, 894 F.2d 415, 417-18 (D.C.Cir.), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 880, 111 S.Ct. 214, 112 L.Ed.2d 174 (1990). 11 In considering whether there has been a seizure in a situation, as here, where there is an absence of physical force, we are guided by the Supreme Court's decision in California v. Hodari D., U.S. 111 S.Ct. 1547, 113 L.Ed.2d 690 (1991). In Hodari D., the defendant fled at the approach of a police car. An officer, who was wearing a jacket marked Police, gave chase using a circuitous route to cut-off the defendant. Looking behind him as he ran away, the defendant did not turn and see the officer until the officer was almost upon him, whereupon the defendant tossed away what later proved to be crack cocaine. A moment later the officer tackled the defendant, handcuffed him and called for assistance. Before the Court, the defendant argued that he had been seized at the time when he tossed the drugs, so the drugs were the fruit of that seizure and should have been excluded from evidence. Justice Scalia, writing for the majority, rendered the following opinion: 12 The narrow question before us is whether, with respect to a show of authority as with respect to application of physical force, a seizure occurs even though the subject does not yield. We hold that it does not. 13