United States v. Watson

FARRELL, Associate Judge:

The government appeals from an order suppressing as evidence a gun seized from the trunk of a parked car that Leonard Watson had been driving. D.C.Code § 23-104(a)(1) (1996). The police searched the trunk after (1) seeing Watson appear to smoke a marijuana joint and smelling burnt marijuana as they approached his parked car; (2) finding a smoked marijuana cigarette in the ashtray of the car; and (3) finding six ziploc bags of heroin in the door pocket. We reverse the order of suppression.

I

Police officers in a parked scout car observed a car pass in front of them in…