A suspect who kept reaching into his pocket over the objections of a police officer invited a patdown, a deeply divided appellate panel has held in reinstating evidence and a statement that a trial court had suppressed.

The Appellate Division, Fourth Department, split 3-2 in reversing Erie County Judge Michael Pietruszka (See Profile). Pietruszka had suppressed the gun seized from Quentin Sims, finding that police had no right to search the suspect.