Opinion ID: 3064458
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Probable Cause to Arrest Mr. Lassiter

Text: The heart of the Lassiters’ case is their 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim that the police arrested Kenneth Lassiter for obstruction without probable cause, violating his Fourth Amendment rights. We agree with the district court that the police did have probable cause, and affirm the dismissal of this claim. [1] Probable cause exists when the facts and circumstances within the officer’s knowledge are sufficient to cause a reasonably prudent person to believe that a crime has been committed. Ybarra v. Illinois, 444 U.S. 85, 91 (1979). The crime of obstructing an officer has four essential elements: 1) an action or inaction that hinders, delays, or obstructs the officers; 2) while the officers are in the midst of their official duties; 3) the defendant knows the officers are discharging a public duty; 4) the action or inaction is done knowingly. WASH. REV. CODE § 9A.76.020. [2] Regardless of whether Van Santford said the word “stop” and whether Kenneth Lassiter physically moved toward the kitchen, the undisputed facts are sufficient to conclude that the officers had probable cause. They entered a potential domestic violence scene with information that Mr. Lassiter had threatened to cut his wife’s throat. The couple was obviously reluctant to open the door, and when Alpha 2360 LASSITER v. CITY OF BREMERTON Lassiter eventually did open the door she attempted to hide herself behind it and lied to the officers that no one else was home. Given this background, it was reasonable for the officers to insist that Kenneth Lassiter sit down in the living room, away from any possible weapons, before the police could carry out their duty to ensure that Mrs. Lassiter was not in harm’s way. But Mr. Lassiter’s conduct made it impossible for the police to carry out their duty. More than just a momentary noncompliance with police orders, his conduct had the practical effect of precluding the officers from securing the scene and investigating a possible assault. Mr. Lassiter’s conduct is therefore distinguishable on this critical issue from cases in which we have held that no probable cause existed to arrest for an obstruction offense. See Palmer v. Sanderson, 9 F.3d 1433, 1437 (9th Cir. 1993) (holding that, if plaintiff agreed to answer officer’s questions, accompany officer to station and submit to a breath test, “no reasonable officer could believe that there was probable cause to arrest [plaintiff] for ‘obstructing a public servant,’ ” even when plaintiff left the scene of a traffic stop); Mackinney, 69 F.3d at 1006 (finding no probable cause to arrest for obstruction based on “momentary disobedience” because no real obstruction occurred). Additionally, the tape shows that Kenneth Lassiter knew that Thuring and Van Santford were police officers and that they were in his home to investigate a possible assault because they told him as much. Therefore, we agree with the district court that there remains no triable issue of material fact as to whether the officers had probable cause to arrest Mr. Lassiter for obstruction. The Lassiters also claim that Mrs. Lassiter was unlawfully arrested for obstruction of an officer without probable cause. This claim is without merit because Mrs. Lassiter was never arrested. Accordingly, we affirm the grant of summary judgment in favor of the officers, and hold that the district court’s jury instruction on lawful arrest was not error. LASSITER v. CITY OF BREMERTON 2361