Opinion ID: 1811320
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Perez was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm and carrying a concealed firearm by a convicted felon in violation of sections 790.01 and 790.23, Florida Statutes (1987). Perez sought to suppress the gun, claiming it was obtained by police in violation of article I, section 12, Florida Constitution, and the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the federal Constitution. Relevant evidence at the suppression hearing included the arresting officer's deposition. Officer Carrasco gave the following account: A. We were parked at a Winn Dixie facing Southwest First Street. I saw [Perez] and a white male. They were talking. He acted very suspicious. The both of them did. Q. What did you see which lead [sic] you to believe they were acting suspiciously? Exactly what were they doing as best you can recall? A. What I saw was he kept looking at [our] police car, okay, he kept talking to the white male and they got very close like they were passing something between each other, okay. That's what lead [sic] me to believe they were doing some kind of narcotics transaction... . ... . A. I exited my police car. I was walking towards him because we were facing south. Okay. He [passed] the police car. I was walking towards him. At this time he saw me as I was approaching him. I don't recall what I told him. I believe I told him to stop, freeze. At this time he ran from me. Q. Might you have said, hey, you? ... . A. No. I wouldn't have said hey, you. I would have said freeze, stop. ... . Q. Other than that, you had no other reason to stop him or approach him? A. No. Officer Carrasco pursued Perez through an alley, where Perez discarded a revolver before being apprehended. The trial court ruled that the officer lacked reasonable suspicion to stop Perez and suppressed the revolver as fruit of an illegal seizure. The district court reversed. The present majority approves the district court decision, ruling that under Bernie v. State, 524 So.2d 988 (Fla. 1988), this Court is bound to interpret article I, section 12, Florida Constitution, in conformity with the federal Court's Fourth Amendment jurisprudence. The majority concludes that under Hodari no Fourth Amendment seizure took place until Perez was caught; thus the discarding of the firearm was not embraced by the Fourth Amendment and the gun should not have been suppressed.