Opinion ID: 1201929
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Terry Stop and Subsequent Arrest of Amaral-Estrada

Text: Amaral-Estrada's second argument on appeal is that the federal agents lacked probable cause to stop, question, detain, and arrest him. We review this issue de novo. As Amaral-Estrada's brief recognized, under Terry v. Ohio, police officers may conduct a brief investigatory stop of a suspect if they have reasonable suspicion based on articulable facts that a crime is about to be or has been committed. 392 U.S. 1, 30, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968); United States v. Wimbush, 337 F.3d 947, 949 (7th Cir.2003). Reasonable suspicion must be based on some objective manifestation that the suspect is involved in criminal activity. Wimbush, 337 F.3d at 949. The likelihood of criminal activity need not rise to probable cause and falls well short of a preponderance of the evidence standard. Id. at 949-50 (citing United States v. Arvizu, 534 U.S. 266, 274, 122 S.Ct. 744, 151 L.Ed.2d 740 (2002)). Courts examine the reasonableness of a stop based on the totality of the circumstances known to the officer at the time of the stop. Id. at 950; United States v. Jackson, 300 F.3d 740, 745-46 (7th Cir.2002). Probable cause to make an arrest exists where the facts and circumstances within the officer's knowledge are sufficient to warrant a prudent man's belief that the suspect has committed or was committing an offense. Beck v. Ohio, 379 U.S. 89, 91, 85 S.Ct. 223, 13 L.Ed.2d 142 (1964); United States v. Breit, 429 F.3d 725, 728 (7th Cir.2005). When the federal agents decided to follow Amaral-Estrada in the Chrysler M300, they did so suspecting that Amaral-Estrada was the fugitive, Sosa-Verdeja. While following Amaral-Estrada, the agents saw him exit the Chrysler M300, and walk around the neighborhood, frequently looking over his shoulder as if to see if someone was following him. Based on their suspicion that he might be Sosa-Verdeja and that a drug drop might be underway, Agent O'Reilly stopped Amaral-Estrada and asked for identification. While this may have satisfied the agents' reasonable suspicion as to Amaral-Estrada's identity, probable cause was established for his arrest when Amaral-Estrada lied to them, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (false statements to a federal agent). Specifically, Amaral-Estrada denied any knowledge of the Chrysler M300 that Agent O'Reilly had just seen him park and exit moments earlier. For this reason alone, the agents had probable cause to detain and arrest Amaral-Estrada. The district court's denial of Amaral-Estrada's Motion to Suppress Evidence is therefore affirmed.