District of Columbia v. R.W. · ¶13

Indeed, this case reveals the perils of reviewing facts piecemeal and without context. Take the passengers' fight from the car. We have little doubt that, in some circumstances, an officer could not reasonably attribute his suspicion of a feeing individual to bystanders milling nearby. Cf. Ybarra v. Illinois, 444 U. S. 85, 91 (1979) (recognizing that “a person's mere propinquity to others independently suspected of criminal activity does not, without more, give rise to probable cause to search that person”). But the “whole picture” here tells a different story. Cortez, 449 U. S., at 417.

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