Q: If a cop gets behind you and doesn't flick his lights and you park and walk away is that a crime even with bad plates?
A: The crime appears to be that you were driving a car without proper registration. If the officer was following procedure, he ran the plate through his computer and the crime would be obvious. The officer could not have known about the lack of insurance. The offer need not turn on his lights for there to be a valid crime. And your abandonment of the vehicle does not erase the crime either. An officer may search an automobile after am arrest or if he is going to tow the vehicle.
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