People v. Smith

In this interlocutory appeal, the State challenges a suppression order of the trial court. The trial court held that the amount of force used by police during a traffic stop escalated the encounter into an arrest, which was not supported by probable cause. Therefore, the trial court suppressed the evidence obtained from a search of the defendant's vehicle.

We disagree with the trial court's conclusions of law. Although the police did display force, their conduct was not unreasonable in light of the cireumstances the officers faced. Accordingly, we characterize this police-citizen encounter as…