Flores

Opinion of the Court by Corrigan, J.

Police officers detained defendant, Marlon Flores, on a dark evening in an area known for narcotics and gang activity. The Court of Appeal held the totality of circumstances described below provided reasonable suspicion for the detention. We reverse.

I. BACKGROUND

The following facts were adduced at the suppression hearing, at which Los Angeles Police Officer Daniel Guy was the only witness. In May 2019, around 10:00 p.m., Officer Guy and his partner, Michael Marino, were on patrol in the area of Mariposa Avenue. Guy considered the location to be a “known narcotic[s] area[]” and “gang hangout.” He had arrested someone in the vicinity the night before for narcotics crimes. As the officers drove by a cul-de-sac, they saw Flores standing alone in the street beside a Nissan parked at a red curb. Flores looked at the officers, walked around the back of the car, then “ducked” behind it. The officers pulled up and parked behind the Nissan. Officer Marino’s body camera captured the interaction between Flores and the officers. The video begins as the officers park the patrol car but remain inside. At 0:15 seconds, Flores’s head comes into view from…