United States v. Muhammad

An anonymous 911 caller reported a black man in white clothing riding a bicycle and carrying a gun in a Buffalo neighborhood; responding officers spotted a matching bicyclist and attempted to stop him using their patrol lights, but he sped away and was only apprehended, later identified as Abdul Muhammad (defendant), after being boxed in by a second patrol car. Officers noticed a gym bag on his back, and although Muhammad claimed it held a baseball bat, officers -- aware of the area's high-crime reputation and lack of nearby baseball fields -- patted down the bag, felt what seemed like a gun muzzle, and found an assault rifle inside. Muhammad, charged as a felon in possession of a firearm, moved to suppress the rifle, and after the district court denied his motion, he appealed.