United States v. Jorge Gomez and Henry Serna

How courts have described this case

Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.

• finding probable cause based on agents’ prior observations and their hearing “classic sounds indicating destruction of evidence,” despite agents not having seen drugs
• hastening to enter apartment and slamming door when DEA agents announced their authority
• Sounds of “commotion” and destruction of evidence established exigent circumstances sufficient to justify warrant-less arrests.
• “[M]ere sight of agents was enough to tip off experienced narcotics dealers” that “they were in trouble and thus trigger destruction of evidence.”
• seizure occurs when police from fifteen feet away display their badge and shout \police\ since \'[a] reasonable person would have believed that he was not free to leave'\ (quoting Mendenhall, 446 U.S. at 554)
• Suspect’s retreat into an apartment from agents’ show of authority in the hallway is evidence of “consciousness of guilt,” which is a factor to be considered in determining whether probable cause exists.

Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).