Opinion ID: 2737114
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Attempted Traffic Stop

Text: Around 9:00 PM on December 17, 2008 in Orlando, Florida, Edwards was driving his wife’s car, despite having a suspended license. A police car drove behind him and engaged its lights and siren. Lovett was driving the police car and believed that Edwards had failed to stop at a stop sign. 1 1 At trial, Edwards testified that he stopped at the stop sign. 2 Case: 13-14393 Date Filed: 09/25/2014 Page: 3 of 25 Edwards realized that Lovett wanted him to stop, and thus, Edwards drove “a little bit down” the road and turned into a library parking lot. Once stopped, Edwards fled on foot. Lovett got out of his car and pursued Edwards on foot, yelling for him to stop. Edwards instead jumped over a six-foot fence, ran into a wooded area, and lay down on the ground. Because Lovett had lost sight of Edwards, he called for back-up, and Shanley arrived on the scene with his partner, K-9 Rosco. Rosco was a Belgianmalamute and German-Shepherd mix, who responded only to German commands. It is undisputed that Rosco tracked Edwards to his hiding place in the woods and, on Shanley’s command, bit Edwards. The parties’ evidence at trial conflicted as to the factual circumstances surrounding the dog bite.