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PEOPLE v. PEREZ

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Department.
Mar 12, 1991

Defendant's motion to suppress physical evidence was properly denied. At approximately 3:00 A.M. on October 30, 1988, Susan Schiffman heard suspicious noises and voices at her neighbor's apartment door. Knowing this neighbor was vacationing, and after calling his apartment and not receiving a response, she called the police. The arresting officer discovered defendant and an accomplice crouched behind a cardboard box in a stairway leading to the roof; the accomplice carried an axe.

Any possible innocent interpretation of the unfolding events disappeared when defendant and Sanchez attacked the officer. Clearly, defendant's arrest was supported by probable cause. (People v McRay, 51 N.Y.2d 594.)

Concur — Sullivan, J.P., Milonas, Rosenberger, Asch and Smith, JJ.