Store security guards contacted the police after Calvin Shands and a friend were observed randomly collect merchandise and behaving "in an unusually nervous manner" when Shands's credit card was declined while at a check-out counter.
In response to a store clerk's offer to call the card issuer, Shands opted to leave the goods behind. And as he exited, officers confronted Shands and asked for identification. When he attempted to comply, the declined credit card--which bore someone else's name--fell to the ground.
Although he claimed to have been illegally searched, the New York County Supreme Court refused to suppress the evidence. And after he was convicted of criminal possession of stolen property, the Appellate Division, First Department, agreed that officers had acted reasonably and lawfully.
Who's going to steal credit for that?
To view a copy of the Appellate Division's decision, please use this link: People v. Shands