Store Robbery Scenario

A Store Robbery Scenario, which encompasses LSPD's 3 main Case Laws as well as Reasonable Suspicion and Probable Cause.

If I was to use this as a teaching piece, I'd welcome the idea that I can be stopped at any point to be asked and/or told which Case Law had been applied. Also you can ask questions along the way.

There is a dispatch call for a Store Robbery, there has been a report of 2 suspects in the store holding the store clerk up with hand guns and dressed in black from head to toe. The suspects fire warning shots in the store to scare the store clerk.

3 units are sent to the scene at the store. Upon arrival they see 1 person fleeing on foot and another person leaving in a vehicle but not at dangerous or reckless speeds, both people match the descriptions from the reports.

1 unit chases the person on foot, the person reaches for a hand gun, turns and shoots at the officers. The officers return fire and take down the suspect. (Why did they shoot? - they were in immediate danger, as well as others civilians around them. Which Case Law is it that covers their action of taking the suspect down? - Tennessee vs Garner). The suspect is arrested and searched, marked money and stolen items from the store are found. EMS are called on scene. Suspect is read their rights once they are back on their feet and returned to the Police Department for processing.

1 unit goes to the store to check over the scene, check for any suspects still at the scene, begin enquiries and search for any evidence, fingerprints, dna, casings .etc.

1 unit goes after the vehicle, the vehicle pulls over for a regular traffic stop. The driver is told to switch off their engine and roll down their window. The officers go over to the vehicle and ask the driver some questions, ask for their I.D. and what they are doing in the area. The officers ask the driver to step out of the vehicle and tell them they are being detained due to them matching the description of a suspect from a store robbery that has just taken place around the corner. They inform the driver that they are going to perform a frisk on them due to their description matching the reports from the Store Robbery scene and believing them to be armed and dangerous (Which Case Law covers them to perform a frisk? - Terry vs Ohio - and what are they looking for on the frisk? - Weapons only, specifically a gun in this case and why can they only frisk and not search their whole person? - The officers only have reasonable suspicion).

When frisking, the officers feel a hand gun and retrieve this (performing a search act but taking the gun only. Ignoring any other illegal items/contraband).

The officers radio over to ask the unit at the store if they have found any casings, the officers have. They ask for the last 5 digits of the serial number of the casings and the officers find it matches the hand gun retireved from the driver.

The officers inform the driver that they are under arrest, puts the suspect in cuffs and reads them their rights. At present, they are under arrest for unlawful discharge of a firearm, they now want to link the suspect to the store robbery crime. The officers perform a full body search on the suspect (why is this now allowed? - They have probable cause from the casings matching the hand gun).

The search reveals marked money from the cash register and other stolen items from the store. They now have the evidence for the store robbery crime.

The officers now also move to search the drivers vehicle for further evidence and more stolen goods (why didn't they perform the search earlier? - they only had reasonable suspicion - and why are they now lawfully able to perform a search on the vehicle? - they now have probable cause for the store robbery and believe further evidence could have been stored within the vehicle. Which Case Law covers this? - Carroll vs United States).

Suspect 1 (fled on foot) is charged with Petty Robbery and Assault with a deadly weapon (if an officer went down they would be charged with Attempted murder of a Government Emplyee/LEO)

Suspect 2 (stopped in their vehicle) is charged with Petty Robbery and unlawful discharge of a fire arm (casings found in store)