United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Antonio Miranda, Defendant-appellant, 132 F.3d 41 (9th Cir. 1997)
Annotate this CaseAppeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon Owen M. Panner, District Judge, Presiding
Before SNEED, LEAVY and TROTT, Circuit Judges.
MEMORANDUM*
Antonio Miranda appeals his jury conviction and his 87-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a) and 846 and 18 U.S.C. § 2. We review de novo the mixed fact and law question of exigent circumstances justifying a failure to comply with the knock and announce requirement of 18 U.S.C. § 3109. See United States v. Mendonsa, 989 F.2d 366, 370 (9th Cir. 1993) (citation omitted) We have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.
When executing a search warrant, law enforcement officers must knock, announce and be refused entry before forcibly entering a residence. See United States v. Turner, 926 F.2d 883, 886 (9th Cir. 1991) (citing 18 U.S.C. § 3109). Miranda contends that the district court erred by finding that exigent circumstances justified the agents' forced entry five seconds after they knocked and announced their presence. This contention lacks merit because, under the facts of this case, the law enforcement agents reasonably believed that they would be endangered if they waited longer than five seconds after knocking and announcing. See Turner, 926 F.2d at 886 (stating that exigent circumstances excuse noncompliance with the knock and announce requirement where a law enforcement officer reasonably believes that compliance would place him or his associates in physical peril); Mendonsa, 989 F.2d at 370 (stating that forced entry within three to five seconds of announcement is permissible when specific inferences of exigency exist)
AFFIRMED.
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