Six days after 2 men robbed a tavern in St. Bernard, Ohio on December 4, 1981, an informant told police that Thomas Hensley drove the robbery getaway car.

Officer Kenneth Davis then immediately issued a wanted flyer for police departments in the Cincinnati metropolitan area.

He performed a felony stop on the vehicle by ordering all occupants to step out of the car while pointing his service revolver in the air.

[2] In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court ruled that based on factors such as the informant's detailed statement and the poster, the police had the right to briefly detain and question suspects in relation to completed crimes.

Justice William J. Brennan Jr. concurred that while balancing tests would be needed for brief, less intrusive stops, Hensley's case would not apply as he was arrested based on probable cause from the sight of the weapons.