Chavez v. Martinez

538 U.S. 760 (2003)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

Officers heard a bicycle approaching on a darkened path that crossed a lot. They ordered the rider, Martinez (P), to dismount, spread his legs, and place his hands behind his head. P complied. They conducted a pat-down frisk and discovered a knife in P's waistband. An altercation ensued. The officers claim that P drew an officer’s gun from its holster and pointed it at them; P denies this. Both sides agree, however, that the officer yelled, ' 'He's got my gun!' ' Another Officer drew her gun and shot P several times, causing severe injuries that left P permanently blinded and paralyzed from the waist down. The officers then placed P under arrest. Chavez (D), a patrol supervisor, arrived on the scene minutes later with paramedics. D accompanied P to the hospital and then questioned P there while he was receiving treatment from medical personnel. The interview lasted a total of about 10 minutes, over a 45-minute period, with D leaving the emergency room for periods of time to permit medical personnel to attend to P. P admitted that he took the gun from the officer's holster and pointed it at the police. He also admitted that he used heroin regularly. At one point, P said 'I am not telling you anything until they treat me,' yet D continued the interview. At no point during the interview was P given Miranda warnings. P was never charged with a crime, and his answers were never used against him in any criminal prosecution. P filed suit under Rev. Stat. §1979, 42 U. S. C. §1983, maintaining that D's actions violated his Fifth Amendment right not to be 'compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself,' as well as his Fourteenth Amendment substantive due process right to be free from coercive questioning. The District Court granted summary judgment to P as to D's qualified immunity defense on both the Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment claims. D took an interlocutory appeal to the Ninth Circuit, which affirmed the District Court's denial of qualified immunity. The Ninth Circuit first concluded that D's actions, as alleged by P, deprived P of his rights under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. It held that 'a police officer violates the Fourteenth Amendment when he obtains a confession by coercive conduct, regardless of whether the confession is subsequently used at trial.'