Which of the following can be an example of exigent circumstances?

Exigent circumstances refer to situations that require immediate action and override the normal requirement of obtaining a search warrant. In this context, immediate harm to a person or destruction of evidence encompasses scenarios where delaying action could lead to serious consequences, such as injury to a person or the loss of crucial evidence. For example, if law enforcement is informed about a person in distress or hears noises indicating violence or serious criminal activity, they are justified in entering a property without a warrant to prevent further harm or to secure evidence that could be destroyed if they waited to obtain a warrant.

The other scenarios do not meet the threshold for exigent circumstances. Suspecting a minor theft does not typically constitute an urgent situation requiring immediate intervention. A tip-off about a potential crime, while concerning, does not entail an immediate need for action that would justify bypassing the warrant process. Lastly, the long-term surveillance of a suspect is generally a methodical approach to gathering evidence, which does not create the pressing urgency associated with exigent circumstances.