From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

In re Jonathan McL

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Mar 4, 2003
303 A.D.2d 169 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)

Summary

affirming conviction of defendant for disorderly conduct where defendant "flail[ed] his arms and yell[ed] obscenities, all in the presence of a gathering crowd"

Summary of this case from Taylor v. City of Syracuse

Opinion

365

March 4, 2003.

Order of disposition, Family Court, Bronx County (Harold Lynch, J.), entered on or about August 7, 2001, which adjudicated appellant a juvenile delinquent, upon a fact-finding determination that he committed acts which, if committed by an adult, would constitute the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, and placed him in the custody of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for a period of 18 months, unanimously affirmed, without costs.

Jonathan M. Kratter, for appellant.

Dona B. Morris, for the Presentment Agency.

Before: Mazzarelli, J.P., Buckley, Sullivan, Ellerin, Lerner, JJ.


Appellant's suppression motion was properly denied. The record supports the suppression court's determination that the police conduct here was proper. The police responded to a livery cab driver's request for assistance in resolving a dispute with appellant, a passenger in the cab. The police were performing a public service function of attempting to settle a dispute, and were not engaged in their criminal law enforcement capacity, when they approached the cab, asked appellant where he was going and requested that appellant get out so that they could talk to him (see People v. Hollman, 79 N.Y.2d 181, 189). Even if we were to find that the officers were engaged in their criminal law enforcement capacity at the time they approached appellant, we would construe the encounter as analogous to a vehicle stop initiated by the cab driver, so that the officers' request that appellant get out of the cab constituted a minimal additional intrusion, particularly since the cab driver was already out of the cab and talking to the police (compare Maryland v. Wilson, 519 U.S. 408; with People v. Harrison, 57 N.Y.2d 470). In any event, appellant was arrested as the result of his independent unlawful conduct in flailing his arms and yelling obscenities, all in the presence of a gathering crowd. This provided probable cause to arrest appellant for disorderly conduct (see Penal Law § 240.20,[2],[3],[7]; People v. Shapiro, 96 A.D.2d 626). Appellant appeared to be at least 16 years old and thus subject to arrest for a violation. Accordingly, the drugs recovered from appellant's person were properly seized as incident to a lawful arrest.

THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT.


Summaries of

In re Jonathan McL

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department
Mar 4, 2003
303 A.D.2d 169 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)

affirming conviction of defendant for disorderly conduct where defendant "flail[ed] his arms and yell[ed] obscenities, all in the presence of a gathering crowd"

Summary of this case from Taylor v. City of Syracuse
Case details for

In re Jonathan McL

Case Details

Full title:IN RE JONATHAN McL., A PERSON ALLEGED TO BE A JUVENILE DELINQUENT…

Court:Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department

Date published: Mar 4, 2003

Citations

303 A.D.2d 169 (N.Y. App. Div. 2003)
757 N.Y.S.2d 252

Citing Cases

Taylor v. City of Syracuse

After carefully reviewing the record, and construing it in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs, the Court…

People v. Ormsby

Contrary to defendant's contention, the police officer had probable cause to arrest him that afternoon for…