Opinion ID: 164462
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Encounter in Abdenbi's Bedroom

Text: 30 Abdenbi next argues that he was seized, in violation of the Fourth Amendment, when he was asked to move from his bedroom to the living room. The government asserts that the encounter was not an unconstitutional seizure because Abdenbi gave consent. Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429, 434, 111 S.Ct. 2382, 115 L.Ed.2d 389 (1991) ([A] seizure does not occur simply because a police officer approaches an individual and asks a few questions. So long as a reasonable person would feel free to disregard the police and go about his business, the encounter is consensual and no reasonable suspicion is required. (citation and quotation omitted)). We conduct a de novo review of all the relevant circumstances to determine whether an interaction between an individual and a law enforcement officer is a consensual encounter that does not implicate the Fourth Amendment. United States v. Little, 18 F.3d 1499, 1503 (10th Cir.1994) (en banc). Relevant circumstances include, 31 the threatening presence of several officers; the brandishing of a weapon by an officer; some physical touching by an officer; use of aggressive language or tone of voice indicating that compliance with an officer's request is compulsory; prolonged retention of a person's personal effects ...; a request to accompany the officer to the station; interaction in a nonpublic place or a small, enclosed space; and absence of other members of the public. 32 United States v. Sanchez, 89 F.3d 715, 718 (10th Cir.1996). Another relevant circumstance is whether the officers advised the individual that he was not required to cooperate. Little, 18 F.3d at 1505. Because the inquiry involves an analysis of all the circumstances, no one factor is dispositive. Id. at 1503-04. 33 Our review of the record has uncovered no support for Abdenbi's assertion that there was an impressive display of police power taking place in his bedroom when he was asked to move to the living room. The district court found that only Agent Grubb entered Abdenbi's bedroom, and that Agent Mallard and Agent Godwin were both in Jlassi's bedroom when Agent Grubb asked Abdenbi to move to the living room. 4 The court further found that Abdenbi then left his bedroom, accompanied by Grubb and Bejaoui, and sat in the living room. The record demonstrates that these findings are amply supported by the testimony of both Grubb and Mallard and are not clearly erroneous. 34 On direct examination, Grubb testified that he wanted Abdenbi to go to the living room so he could speak to him while Agents Mallard and Godwin were speaking with Jlassi. On cross-examination, Grubb further testified that he did not enter Abdenbi's bedroom, but stood in the doorway. Agent Mallard stated on cross-examination that he stood in the hallway while Agent Godwin entered Jlassi's bedroom and Agent Grubb entered Abdenbi's bedroom. Mallard then testified about his questioning of Abdenbi. He stated that Agent Godwin was in the room when he began the questioning but he did not specifically identify the room as either the living room or the bedroom. When pressed by defense counsel, Mallard admitted that he could not remember whether he first spoke to Abdenbi in the bedroom or the living room. However, Mallard then agreed that defense counsel correctly summarized the sequence of events when he stated, [Abdenbi] went to the living room along with Mr. Bejaoui, and then subsequent to that Godwin and yourself came to the living room after talking to Mr. Jlassi and then talked to Mr. Abdenbi. 35 The agents' testimony undermines Abdenbi's sensationalized description of his bedroom as a scene of uncontrolled chaos. There is simply no record support for Abdenbi's assertion that shortly after Grubb entered his bedroom, Agents Mallard and Godwin barge[d] into the room, blocking the only exit and demanding to see his passport. Instead, the record supports the district court's conclusion that Agent Grubb was the only law enforcement officer who contacted Abdenbi in his bedroom. Further uncontroverted evidence indicates that Agent Grubb identified himself as a police officer, did not display his weapon, did not raise his voice, did not physically touch Abdenbi, and was not retaining any of Abdenbi's possessions or documents. Abdenbi calmly got out of bed, put on some clothing, and accompanied Grubb to the living room. 36 It cannot be contested that the encounter between Agent Grubb and Abdenbi occurred very early in the morning, in a nonpublic place with no other individuals present. The record further indicates that Agent Grubb did not advise Abdenbi that he was free to disregard the agent's request. Although Grubb appeared in the doorway of Abdenbi's room in the early morning hours while Abdenbi was still in bed, the encounter was calm and orderly with no show of force or physical touching. Having reviewed all the circumstances surrounding the encounter between Agent Grubb and Abdenbi, including the district court's specific factual findings combined with other uncontroverted evidence in the record, we conclude that a reasonable person in Abdenbi's position would have felt free to terminate the encounter with Agent Grubb. Thus, the encounter was consensual and it does not implicate the Fourth Amendment. 37 The dissent relies, in part, on its own findings of fact to reach the opposite conclusion. For example, there is simply no record support for the dissent's finding that Abdenbi was accosted by the agents. Dissent at 1300. Abdenbi did not even testify at the suppression hearing; the only witnesses were Agents Grubb and Mallard. Hence, the agents' descriptions of the encounter are uncontroverted and the dissent improperly embellishes those descriptions without even the benefit of Abdenbi's testimony. 38 The dissent's conclusion is also driven by its troubling determination that an individual's subjective state of mind informs the question of whether a reasonable person would feel free to terminate an encounter with the police. Dissent at 1304. The subjective state of mind of either Grubb or Abdenbi is wholly irrelevant and plays no role in our evaluation of the circumstances surrounding the encounter. Little, 18 F.3d at 1505 ([T]he particular personal traits or subjective state of mind of the defendant are irrelevant to the objective `reasonable person' test.); United States v. Zapata, 997 F.2d 751, 757 (10th Cir.1993) ([The defendant's] own subjective attitudes toward the police encounter, or any other of his particular personal attitudes, are irrelevant....). The dissent's approach seeks to transform the objective standard into a subjective standard and must be firmly rejected. Further, in this case there is absolutely no basis for the dissent to assume that Abdenbi, who did not testify, is an objectively reasonable person such that his subjective state of mind is relevant to the objective analysis.