In U.S. v. Williams, No. 10-10612 (Sept. 13, 2010), the Court held that a police officer did not violate the Fourth Amendment when he pulled over the defendant’s vehicle after it quickly pulled out of a public housing project, known to be a high crime area, from which the officer had just heard a gunshot. The district court therefore did not err in declining to suppress the firearm found in Williams’ vehicle.
The Court relied on cases in the Fifth and Tenth Circuits which held that a police officer was acting on more than a “hunch” in like circumstances. In such circumstances, an officer has a reasonable suspicion to pull over the vehicle – sufficient reason under Terry v. Ohio to withstand a Fourth Amendment challenge.
