12.2 The Unlucky Couple

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The Unlucky Couple

After an evening at the movies, Lonnie Howard and his girlfriend, Melissa, decide to park in the empty lot behind Briarwood Elementary School. They begin talking and start drinking the beer they brought with them. After several beers, the couple is startled by the sound of breaking glass and voices from the rear of the school.

Unnoticed in their darkened car, Lonnie and Melissa observe two men loading office furniture and electronics equipment from the school into the back of a van. Quickly concluding that the men must be burglars, Lonnie decides he should leave the parking lot. He revs up his engine and roars out of the parking lot onto Main Street.

Meanwhile, unknown to Lonnie and Melissa, a silent security alarm has also alerted the local police to the break-in at the school. Responding to the alarm, Officer Vicki Ramos heads for the school. She turns onto Main Street just in time to see one vehicle—Lonnie’s car—speeding away from the school.

12.2 The Unlucky Couple

a. If you were Officer Ramos, what would you do in this situation? If you were Lonnie, what would you do?

b. If Officer Ramos chases Lonnie, will she have probable cause to stop and arrest him?

c. How do you think Officer Ramos would act after stopping Lonnie? How do you think Lonnie and Melissa would act?

a. If you were Officer Ramos, what would you do in this situation? If you were Lonnie, what would you do?

b. If Officer Ramos chases Lonnie, will she have probable cause to stop and arrest him?

c. How do you think Officer Ramos would act after stopping Lonnie? How do you think Lonnie and Melissa would act?

d. Role-play this situation. As Officer Ramos, decide what you would say and how you would act toward the occupants of the car. As Lonnie and Melissa, decide what you would say and how you would act toward the police officer.

e. What could Lonnie and Melissa do if they were mistakenly arrested for the burglary? What could they do if they were abused or mistreated by Officer Ramos?

f. Assume Lonnie takes a baseball bat from the back of the car and begins to wave it after being stopped by Officer Ramos. Would it be legal for Officer Ramos to use deadly force?

d. Role-play this situation. As Officer Ramos, decide what you would say and how you would act toward the occupants of the car. As Lonnie and Melissa, decide what you would say and how you would act toward the police officer.

e. What could Lonnie and Melissa do if they were mistakenly arrested for the burglary? What could they do if they were abused or mistreated by Officer Ramos?

f. Assume Lonnie takes a baseball bat from the back of the car and begins to wave it after being stopped by Officer Ramos. Would it be legal for Officer Ramos to use deadly force?