Italiano v. Commonwealth

On the night of July 13, 1972, several police officers from the City of Hampton and State troopers went to search a certain apartment in Hampton, knocked on the door, identified themselves, and stated that they had a search warrant for possession of controlled drugs. Suddenly, people in the apartment began to scurry about. In order to gain admission the police had to kick open the door.

When the officers entered the apartment, controlled drugs were seen in open view on a table in the living room. One of the Hampton officers and a State trooper passed through the living room into the bathroom…