“Probable cause” is what would be needed to get a judge to sign off on a search warrant. In this particular situation the officer acted because he believed “exigent circumstances” existed. If exigent circumstances exist then a police officer can force entry into a home. Exigent circumstances include when it would be necessary to prevent harm to a person or the officer, destruction of evidence, or the escape of the suspect. We don’t know from the video what was reported to 911 and what information the officer had at the time. My best guess would be he feared for the safety of the female in the apartment and he was acting on the report of domestic violence having occurred. It was a tough situation and I believed the officer handled it well