Lets say you are about to make an arrest and someonereaches for a knife, can you shoot them dead on the spot? or do they have to reach for a gun
2006-09-28 06:22:41 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Law Enforcement & Police
In many places, the use of deadly force is completely permissible to defend against suspects with weapons other than guns. It is a reasonable fear for one's life - this could mean knives, screwdrivers, or anything that could be construed as usable as a dangerous weapon.
2006-09-28 06:30:31 · answer #1 · answered by Denise F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The brandishing of any deadly weapon or object (or the attempt to access such) could justify the use of deadly force. It does not have to be a gun. It could be a table leg. It is all situational. In your scenario, one would have to ask how close the person was to the officer and how likely the person was to have retrieved the knife. It would not be justified to shoot someone who was 50' away, trying to reach a knife that was in the trunk of a car. The officer would be expected to use other means to stop the person before resorting to deadly force. If however those means failed or the person was within range of the officer then all bets are off and the officer can do whatever he needs to do to survive. Any reasonable person could assume that someone reaching for a knife as they are about to be arrested is planning on using it to hurt or kill the officer.
2006-09-28 13:41:13 · answer #2 · answered by Mike 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This depends on many factors. How far away from the perp is the cop? Does the cop absolutely know that the perp has a knife? Has the perp threatened bodily harm? Does the cop know the perp? Is the perp already at gunpoint? Does the perp continue to reach for the weapon after instructed not to? There are many things that may make an officer react differently to different situations. If the call came in for armed suspect, and said suspect won't cooperate, is acting aggressive and appears to be reaching for a weapon, than chances are that he will be shot.
2006-09-28 13:33:27 · answer #3 · answered by skylerrrr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Police have a +1 response to force. Our baton vs fist, and gun vs knife. I have simply grabbed the knife away from people without having to shoot them.
Reasonable is the key word, is there reasonable belief they can kill you with that knife? 20 feet is the response time for a knife encounter. So anything within that distance is reasonable to use deadly force if they are moving at you with a knife.
2006-09-28 13:49:15 · answer #4 · answered by Rob 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If it is clear that they are reaching for something how do you know it is not a gun? What would you do?
2006-09-28 13:25:01 · answer #5 · answered by Rich Z 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋