The following excerpt is from U.S. v. Crapser, 472 F.3d 1141 (9th Cir. 2007):
It also is instructive to contrast this case with Orhorhaghe v. INS, 38 F.3d 488 (9th Cir.1994), in which we found a seizure instead of a consensual encounter. There, the officers positioned themselves so as to be certain the defendant could not escape
Page 1147
or leave, the officers made a deliberate effort to reveal their concealed firearms; the encounter occurred in a non-public setting, and the officers acted in an aggressive manner suggesting that compliance would be compelled. The ratio of officers to defendants was 4 to 1. Id. at 491; see also United States v. Washington, 387 F.3d 1060, 1068-69 (9th Cir.2004) (holding that an encounter was not consensual where it occurred in a private place, the officers refused to honor the defendant's request to shut the door, and the officers advised the defendant several times that he could be arrested and told him he could not terminate the encounter).
The above passage should not be considered legal advice. Reliable answers to complex legal questions require comprehensive research memos. To learn more visit www.alexi.com.