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Simple English definitions for legal terms
citizen's arrest
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A quick definition of citizen's arrest:
Citizen's arrest: When a regular person catches someone doing something really bad, like hurting someone else, they can stop that person and hold them until the police come. This is called a citizen's arrest. It's only allowed in certain situations, like when the person doing the bad thing is committing a serious crime. The rules for citizen's arrests are different in each state, but they are similar to the rules for police officers.
A more thorough explanation:
Citizen’s arrest is when a regular person arrests someone instead of a police officer. This is allowed in certain situations, like when the person sees a violent crime happening and detains the criminal. It is legal to do this without getting in trouble for interfering with someone else’s rights.
- In Texas, a person can arrest someone committing a felony or a crime against the public peace in front of them.
- In California, a person can arrest someone for a crime committed in their presence, or if they have reasonable cause to believe the person committed a felony.
For example, if someone sees a person breaking into a car and detains them until the police arrive, this is a citizen’s arrest. The person who made the arrest is not breaking the law because they witnessed a crime and acted to stop it.
citizen | Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)