Opinion ID: 160460
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Probable Cause to Arrest on April 16, 1998

Text: 16 Mr. Allen contends that the drugs and other items seized from his person on April 16, 1998, were the fruits of an illegal arrest and should therefore be suppressed. We review a district court's findings of historical fact under the clearly erroneous standard, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party. United States v. Erving L., 147 F.3d 1240, 1242 (10th Cir. 1998); United States v. Springfield, 196 F.3d 1180, 1183 (10th Cir. 1999). We review the question of whether probable cause to arrest existed at the time of the arrest de novo. Springfield, 196 F.3d at 1183. 17 Probable cause to arrest exists when an officer, considering the totality of the circumstances before him, is led to a reasonable belief that an offense has been or is being committed by the suspect. United States v. Dozal, 173 F.3d 787, 792 (10th Cir. 1999). On April 16, 1998, Officer Nagy had a warrant for the arrest of Gavin Allen. Mr. Allen does not contest the validity of the warrant, but maintains that, at the time of the arrest, the police officers did not have probable cause to believe that he was indeed Gavin Allen. He argues that his arrest was based merely on a hunch that turned out to be correct. At the time of Mr. Allen's arrest on April 16, 1998, Officer Nagy knew the following: (1) dispatch had received an anonymous tip that Gavin Allen was at the residence; (2) the tip had accurately described the vehicle that was found at the residence; (3) an individual meeting the physical description given by the anonymous tip was found present at the residence; (4) that individual identified himself as Gerald Allen; and (5) the individual calling himself Gerald Allen then indicated that his identification was in his brother Gerald's car. 18 Mr. Allen relies on the recent Supreme Court decision in Florida v. J.L., 120 S. Ct. 1375 (2000), for the proposition that Mr. Allen's arrest was without probable cause because it was precipitated by an anonymous tip. In J.L., the Court held that an anonymous tip that a person is carrying a gun, without more does not give rise to reasonable suspicion justifying a stop and frisk of that person. Id. at 1377. The facts in this case are distinguishable from the facts of J.L. In J.L., the Court invalidated the stop and frisk in large part because the anonymous tip failed to give reliable information that a crime had been or was being committed. The Court stated that [a]n accurate description of a subject's readily observable location and appearance is of course reliable in this limited sense: It will help the police correctly identify the person whom the tipster means to accuse. Such a tip, however, does not show that the tipster has knowledge of concealed criminal activity. J.L., 120 S. Ct. at 1379. Here, identity is the only matter in question. Warrants for Gavin Allen's arrest had been issued, thus giving the officers probable cause to conclude that a crime had been committed. The tip concerned only the whereabouts and identity of Gavin Allen. For the limited purpose of establishing identity, the tip was sufficiently corroborated. The vehicle described by the tip was present at the location and an individual meeting the physical description given was present. Furthermore, the fact that the individual identified by the tip was indeed Gavin Allen was corroborated when that person identified himself as Gerald Allen, but later referred to the vehicle as his brother Gerald's car. 19 Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government and considering the totality of the circumstances, we conclude that Officer Nagy could reasonably infer that the defendant was actually Gavin Allen and was simply using the name Gerald as a cover. Thus, we hold that Officer Nagy had probable cause to arrest Mr. Allen, and we affirm the district court's denial of Mr. Allen's motion to suppress the evidence seized pursuant to the April 16, 1998 arrest. 20