US District Court: Police erred in barging into San Carlos house

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From the SF Chronicle:

(09-17) 16:16 PDT SAN CARLOS -- San Carlos police acted illegally when they charged into a man's house without a warrant after being told he had been in a minor traffic accident and may have been drinking, a federal judge ruled today.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White rejected officers' claim that they entered Bruce Hopkins' home in August 2003 because they feared he was in a diabetic coma and needed help. White cited a federal appeals court ruling last year that found police had no reason to believe Hopkins was unconscious and had done nothing to check on his medical condition before entering.

"They cooked up this story of a diabetic emergency and broke in with guns drawn," said Hopkins' lawyer, Anthony Boskovich.

The ruling allows him to ask a jury to award damages to Hopkins, who Boskovich said was severely traumatized by the incident, lost his job and has been unable to work since.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/17/BA151FFO9D.DTL