brigham city utah stuart et argued april decided may responding call loud party police arrived house question heard shouting inside proceeded driveway saw two juveniles drinking beer backyard entering yard saw screen door windows altercation kitchen four adults juvenile punched one adults causing spit blood sink officer opened screen door announced officers presence unnoticed amid tumult officer entered kitchen cried whereupon altercation gradually subsided officers arrested respondents charged contributing delinquency minor related offenses trial granted motion suppress evidence obtained officers entered home ground warrantless entry violated fourth amendment utah appeals affirmed affirming state held injury caused juvenile punch insufficient trigger emergency aid doctrine give rise objectively reasonable belief unconscious semiconscious missing person feared injured dead home furthermore suggested doctrine inapplicable officers sought assist injured adult acted exclusively law enforcement capacity also held entry fall within exigent circumstances exception warrant requirement held police may enter home without warrant objectively reasonable basis believing occupant seriously injured imminently threatened injury fourth amendment ultimate touchstone reasonableness warrant requirement subject certain exceptions example one exigency obviating requirement need render emergency assistance occupants private property seriously injured threatened injury mincey arizona repeatedly rejected respondents contention assessing reasonableness entry consideration given subjective motivations individual officers officers subjective motivation irrelevant bond matter whether entered kitchen arrest respondents gather evidence assist injured prevent violence indianapolis edmond florida wells distinguished relying holding welsh wisconsin important factor considered determining whether exigency exists gravity underlying offense arrest made respondents contend conduct serious enough justify officers intrusion home contention misplaced welsh potential emergency confronting officers need preserve evidence suspect level exigency held insufficient circumstances justify warrantless entry suspect home ibid officers confronted ongoing violence occurring within home situation welsh address officers entry plainly reasonable circumstances given tumult house arrived obvious knocking front door futile moreover light fracas observed kitchen officers objectively reasonable basis believing injured adult might need help violence beginning nothing fourth amendment required wait another blow rendered someone unconscious semiconscious worse entering manner entry also reasonable since nobody heard first announcement presence announcing officer stepped kitchen announced tumult subsided announcement least equivalent knock screen door circumstances violation fourth amendment rule furthermore announcement made officers free enter serve purpose make stand dumbly door awaiting response within brawled oblivious presence pp ut reversed remanded roberts delivered opinion unanimous stevens filed concurring opinion brigham city utah petitioner charles stuart et al writ certiorari utah may chief justice roberts delivered opinion case consider whether police may enter home without warrant objectively reasonable basis believing occupant seriously injured imminently threatened injury conclude may case arises melee occurred brigham city utah home early morning hours july four police officers responded call regarding loud party residence upon arriving house heard shouting inside proceeded driveway investigate observed two juveniles drinking beer backyard entered backyard saw screen door windows altercation taking place kitchen home according testimony one officers four adults attempting difficulty restrain juvenile juvenile eventually broke free swung fist struck one adults face ut officer testified observed victim blow spitting blood nearby sink app adults continued try restrain juvenile pressing refrigerator force refrigerator began moving across floor point officer opened screen door announced officers presence amid tumult nobody noticed officer entered kitchen cried occupants slowly became aware police scene altercation ceased officers subsequently arrested respondents charged contributing delinquency minor disorderly conduct intoxication trial respondents filed motion suppress evidence obtained officers entered home arguing warrantless entry violated fourth amendment granted motion utah appeals affirmed utah brigham city argued although officers lacked warrant entry nevertheless reasonable either two grounds rejected contentions two dissenters affirmed first held injury caused juvenile punch insufficient trigger emergency aid doctrine give rise objectively reasonable belief unconscious missing person feared injured dead home internal quotation marks omitted furthermore suggested doctrine inapplicable officers sought assist injured adult instead acted exclusively law enforcement capacity ibid also held entry fall within exigent circumstances exception warrant requirement exception applies explained police probable cause reasonable person believe entry necessary prevent physical harm officers persons internal quotation marks omitted standard stated potential harm need serious required invoke emergency aid exception although found case close difficult call nevertheless concluded officers entry justified exigent circumstances granted certiorari light differences among state courts courts appeals concerning appropriate fourth amendment standard governing warrantless entry law enforcement emergency situation compare sealed case cadc standard exigent circumstances objective one people hebert en banc considering circumstances objectively examined prudent trained police officer cervantes nder emergency doctrine search must primarily motivated intent arrest seize quoting people mitchell state mountford mitchell test requir es courts find primary subjective motivation behind searches provide emergency aid ii basic principle fourth amendment law searches seizures inside home without warrant presumptively unreasonable groh ramirez quoting payton new york internal quotation marks omitted nevertheless ultimate touchstone fourth amendment reasonableness warrant requirement subject certain exceptions flippo west virginia per curiam katz held example law enforcement officers may make warrantless entry onto private property fight fire investigate cause michigan tyler prevent imminent destruction evidence ker california engage hot pursuit fleeing suspect santana arrants generally required search person home person unless exigencies situation make needs law enforcement compelling warrantless search objectively reasonable fourth amendment mincey arizona one exigency obviating requirement warrant need assist persons seriously injured threatened need protect preserve life avoid serious injury justification otherwise illegal absent exigency emergency quoting wayne cadc burger see also tyler supra accordingly law enforcement officers may enter home without warrant render emergency assistance injured occupant protect occupant imminent injury mincey supra see also georgia randolph slip silly suggest police commit tort entering determine whether violence threat violence occurred soon occur respondents take issue principles instead advance two reasons officers entry unreasonable first argue officers interested making arrests quelling violence urge us consider assessing reasonableness entry whether officers indeed motivated primarily desire save lives property brief respondents see also brief national association criminal defense lawyers amicus curiae entry render emergency assistance justifies search searching officer acting outside traditional capacity utah also considered officers subjective motivations relevant see search emergency aid doctrine may primarily motivated intent arrest seize evidence internal quotation marks omitted cases repeatedly rejected approach action reasonable fourth amendment regardless individual officer state mind long circumstances viewed objectively justify action scott emphasis added officer subjective motivation irrelevant see bond parties properly agree subjective intent law enforcement officer irrelevant determining whether officer actions violate fourth amendment issue state mind objective effect actions whren unwilling entertain fourth amendment challenges based actual motivations individual officers graham connor ur prior cases make clear subjective motivations individual officers ha bearing whether particular seizure fourth amendment therefore matter even subjective motives neatly unraveled whether officers entered kitchen arrest respondents gather evidence assist injured prevent violence respondents note held context programmatic searches conducted without individualized suspicion checkpoints combat drunk driving drug trafficking inquiry programmatic purpose sometimes appropriate indianapolis edmond emphasis added see also florida wells inventory search must regulated standardized criteria established routine ruse general rummaging order discover incriminating evidence inquiry directed ensuring purpose behind program ultimately indistinguishable general interest crime control edmond nothing discerning mind individual officer conducting search respondents contend conduct serious enough justify officers intrusion home rely welsh wisconsin held important factor considered determining whether exigency exists gravity underlying offense arrest made contention misplaced welsh involved warrantless entry officers arrest suspect driving intoxicated potential emergency confronting officers need preserve evidence suspect level exigency held insufficient circumstances justify entry suspect home ibid officers confronted ongoing violence occurring within home welsh address situation think officers entry plainly reasonable circumstances officers responding morning complaints loud party approached house hear within altercation occurring kind fight app loud tumultuous officers heard thumping crashing people yelling stop stop get trial found obvious knocking front door futile noise seemed coming back house looking front window seeing nothing officers proceeded around back investigate found two juveniles drinking beer backyard see fracas taking place inside kitchen juvenile fists clenched held back several adults officers watch breaks free strikes one adults face sending adult sink spitting blood circumstances officers objectively reasonable basis believing injured adult might need help violence kitchen beginning nothing fourth amendment required wait another blow rendered someone unconscious worse entering role peace officer includes preventing violence restoring order simply rendering first aid casualties officer like boxing hockey referee poised stop bout becomes manner officers entry also reasonable witnessing punch one officers opened screen door yelled police nobody heard stepped kitchen announced tumult subside officer announcement presence least equivalent knock screen door indeed probably option even chance rising din circumstances violation fourth amendment rule furthermore announcement made officers free enter serve purpose require stand dumbly door awaiting response within brawled oblivious presence accordingly reverse judgment utah remand case proceedings inconsistent opinion ordered brigham city utah petitioner charles stuart et al writ certiorari utah may justice stevens concurring odd flyspeck case charges pending respondents past six years minor offenses intoxication contributing delinquency minor disorderly conduct two proved evidence gathered responding officers entered home maximum punishment crimes ranges days months jail unanimous opinion restating rules federal law clearly persuasive hard imagine outcome ever doubt circumstances difficult question following peculiar utah trial judge intermediate state appellate utah found fourth amendment violation facts prosecution chose pursue matter way voted grant petition writ certiorari possible explanation first suppression ruling correct matter utah law neither trial counsel trial judge bothered identify utah constitution independent basis decision expect prosecution appeal plausible explanation latter two decisions made police officers utah may enter home without warrant see ongoing violence course reversing utah conclusion contrary purpose laudable though may achieved case holding today addresses limitations placed federal constitution search issue authority decide whether police case violated utah constitution utah however made clear utah constitution provides greater protection privacy home fourth amendment see state debooy ut complained case respondents failure raise adequately brief state constitutional challenge thus preventing state courts deciding case anything fourth amendment grounds see ut urpris ed reluctance litigants take develop state constitutional analysis expressly invited future litigants bring challenges utah constitution enable fulfill responsibility guardians individual liberty citizens undertak principled exploration interplay federal state protections individual rights fact admonishment request came utah case demonstrates prosecution selected wrong case establishing rule wants indicates utah probably adopt rule matter state constitutional law reject today federal constitution whether forecast accurate see reason cause utah courts redecide question matter state law federal interests offended single state elects provide greater protection citizens federal constitution requires indeed continue believe policy judicial restraint one allows decisional bodies last word legal interpretation truly necessary intervene enables make effective contribution federal system government michigan long stevens dissenting thus join opinion remain persuaded vote deny state petition certiorari correct footnotes indeed prosecution prepared trial order granting respondents motion suppress see ut app