People v. Arnold Smith

276 N.W.2d 481, 87 Mich. App. 730, 1979 Mich. App. LEXIS 1931
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 3, 1979
DocketDocket 77-3096
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 276 N.W.2d 481 (People v. Arnold Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Arnold Smith, 276 N.W.2d 481, 87 Mich. App. 730, 1979 Mich. App. LEXIS 1931 (Mich. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

B. M. Hensick, J.

Defendant was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, MCL 750.227; MSA 28.424. He was jury convicted as charged and sentenced to 3 to 5 years imprisonment. He appeals as of right.

On September 13, 1977, at approximately 10 p.m., Detroit police officers Larry Nevers and Michael Angeluski were on street patrol in an unmarked police vehicle. They observed defendant walking down the street and directed the car’s spotlight on him. Officer Angeluski testified that they put the spotlight on defendant because there was a curfew in effect for persons under 18 years of age and they were checking for juveniles still out. Officer Nevers testified that he thought at the time that defendant was possibly a juvenile. Defendant was actually 19 years old at the time of this incident.

After placing the spotlight on defendant, Officer Nevers announced in a commanding voice that they were police officers and that they wanted to talk to defendant. Officer Nevers testified that defendant looked in their direction, reached under his shirt, ran a few steps and ducked behind a parked car. They pulled up next to the car and Officer Nevers again identified himself as a police officer. Defendant ran and Officer Nevers chased *734 him on foot. While he was 10 to 15 feet behind defendant, Nevers saw defendant reach into his waist band area and throw a gun into some nearby bushes. Officer Angeluski also observed defendant throw a gun into some bushes. Defendant then stumbled and fell, and the officers arrested him and retrieved the gun. The gun and four live shells and one spent cartridge, found in the gun, were admitted into evidence.

On appeal, defendant raises several arguments challenging the constitutionality of the Detroit curfew ordinance. 1 Defendant contends that the ordinance is void because it is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, because it is an emergency enactment which is preempted by MCL 10.31; MSA 3.4(1), and because it permits the arrest of an individual without probable cause. Defendant argues that because he was initially stopped pursuant to an unconstitutional ordinance, and the seizure of the gun flowed from the illegal stop, the gun should have been suppressed at trial.

*735 We begin our discussion of defendant’s constitutional arguments by narrowing the scope of this issue. Defendant, who was 19 years old at the time of the incident, was not a member of the class to whom the ordinance in question applies. He was not, and indeed, could not have been arrested, prosecuted or convicted for a violation of the ordinance. Defendant therefore lacks standing to attack the constitutionality of the statute as it applies to those who are 18 years old or younger. Mary v Lewis, 399 Mich 401, 416; 249 NW2d 102 (1976), Thomas v Morton Salt Co (On Rehearing), 258 Mich 231, 232; 242 NW 235 (1932).

We only address defendant’s contention that the ordinance impinges on the freedom of movement of youthful-looking persons over the age of 18. Although defendant was not charged under the curfew ordinance, we must address this question in order to determine whether the officers’ action in attempting to stop defendant and the subsequent pursuit which led to the seizure of the gun were justified. In People v Terrell, 77 Mich App 676, 679; 259 NW2d 187 (1977), this Court stated:

"The police officer’s investigatory pursuit of defendant must be tested by the Fourth Amendment’s general proscription against unreasonable searches and seizures. Terry v Ohio, 392 US 1; 88 S Ct 1868; 20 L Ed 2d 889 (1968). The inquiry demanded by Terry is a dual one.
" '* * * whether the officer’s action was justified at its inception, and whether it was reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first place.’ Terry v Ohio, 392 US at 20.”

An officer who has probable cause to believe that a misdemeanor has been committed in his presence may make an investigatory stop in order to *736 acquire additional information to confirm or refute his belief. People v Ward, 73 Mich App 555, 561; 252 NW2d 514 (1977). However, probable cause is not sufficient to justify a warrantless misdemeanor arrest. MCL 764.15; MSA 28.874. Therefore, a police officer cannot arrest a suspected curfew violator, absent proof that the violator is in fact a juvenile.

In People v DeFillippo, 80 Mich App 197; 262 NW2d 921 (1977), lv den, 402 Mich 921 (1978); cert grt’d, — US —; 99 S Ct 76; 58 L Ed 2d 107 (1978), this Court held that the Detroit ordinance which allowed a police officer to arrest an individual for failure to produce identification was unconstitutional. The DeFillippo Court explained that while police may under certain circumstances intrude upon a person’s privacy by stopping him and asking questions, Terry v Ohio, 392 US 1; 88 S Ct 1868; 20 L Ed 2d 889 (1968), there can be no requirement that the person answer. " '[Wjhile police have a right to request citizens to answer voluntarily questions concerning unsolved crimes they have no right to compel them to answer.’ Davis v Mississippi, 394 US 721, 727 fn 6; 89 S Ct 1394, 1397, fn 6; 22 L Ed 676, 681 fn 6 (1969). Accord, Terry v Ohio, supra, at 34, 88 S Ct at 1886; 20 L Ed 2d at 913 (White, J., concurring).” 80 Mich App at 202.

In the instant case, defendant could have had no reasonable fear of prosecution under the ordinance. At most, the police officers could have asked defendant if he was a juvenile and defendant could have refused to answer. Given these circumstances, we fail to perceive any substantial infringement on defendant’s constitutional rights.

A party who seeks to strike down a statute as unconstitutional must show direct injury from its *737 enforcement. City of Allegan v Consumers Power Co, 71 F2d 477 (CA 6, 1934). As the instant case only involves a relatively minor intrusion, we reject defendant’s contention that the ordinance infringes on the rights of youthful-looking adults.

We conclude that the suspected violation of the curfew ordinance was a valid reason for the investigatory stop of defendant and that an understandable miscalculation of age is not sufficient to question the validity of the ordinance. The subsequent observation of the gun provided the necessary probable cause to arrest defendant on the felony charge and the seizure of the gun was incident to the valid arrest.

We also reject defendant’s argument that the enactment of the Detroit curfew ordinance as an emergency ordinance is preempted by the exclusive emergency powers granted to the Governor in MCL 10.31; MSA 3.4(1).

The ordinance involved here was passed by the Detroit City Council as an emergency ordinance on August 18, 1976, following the robbing and terrorizing by youths of patrons of a rock concert at Cobo Hall on August 15, 1976.

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Bluebook (online)
276 N.W.2d 481, 87 Mich. App. 730, 1979 Mich. App. LEXIS 1931, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-arnold-smith-michctapp-1979.