People v. King

OPINION OF THE COURT

Memorandum.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed.

The defendant, approached by a police officer for a gambling violation, fled to a nearby store and refused to come out until the officer had pried the door open. The officer then frisked the defendant and found a loaded handgun. Under the circumstances we agree with the courts below that the frisk of the defendant did not violate his constitutional rights. Although the fact that a person has been stopped for a violation does not ordinarily justify a frisk (People v St. Clair, 54 NY2d 900), a limited pat down…