Police have a report of a recent robbery (20 minutes in the past) with only a general description of the suspect (Male black in his twenties). On…

Published by admin at July 24, 2023

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Police have a report of a recent robbery (20 minutes in the past) with only a general description of the suspect (Male black in his twenties). On patrol they see a man fitting this description. They get out of the car and approach. The man starts running. They give chase. They catch him and recover a loaded gun in his waistband which they did not see until they frisked him. It turns out this man is not the robber. Assuming the description gives insufficient probable cause to arrest him, did they have a right to chase him, catch him and search him? Does the flight give them added probable cause? Or does a citizen have a right to run from the police if he wants to?