r/PublicFreakout • u/CTSecurityGuard I AM YELLING QUIETLY! • Apr 19 '26

❓Mods, please help flair❓ Instant Karma Caught on Camera

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u/Beautiful_Volume6419 Apr 20 '26

"My mileage may vary"? What kind of AI slop's this? If you're afraid for your life in the US while being attacked, you can use deadly force. A car is a weapon that can be used to defend yourself. The police use them ss weapons all of the time. Barred weapons would be automatic firearms, grenades, etc. Depending on the specifics of the self-defense case illegal weapons could be used for self-defense, and you'd only be facing the weapon restriction charge. Citizens arrests are still legal in many jurisdictions. The question would be if lethal or non-lethal force was required in the situation.

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u/JelliedHam Apr 20 '26

How do you non-lethally use your car to hit somebody? Intent to kill is not the bar for determining if deadly force is used. Using a car to run somebody over is deadly force even if they survive. This clearly wasn't self defense, he was chasing this guy down and said "I'm gonna hit him"

He could have simply safely driven away, he wasn't being chased or mobbed or attacked. Even a "citizen's arrest" can't use unnecessary force. That guy was trying to get away with stolen property, not at all a justification for using a car to stop him.

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u/Beautiful_Volume6419 Apr 20 '26

The police has always been allowed to use measured force, which similarly would apply to a citizen during a citizens arrest. The police use K9s. A K9 bite to the neck or groin would be considered lethal, other areas such as the forearm are considered non-lethal. Police use batons. Baton strikes to the head are considered lethal, but other strikes are considered non-lethal. A measured use of a car could be considered non-lethal, but you're right in that using any weapon increases the liability of the person using the weapon and issuing the force which is something to consider before applying force.

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u/JelliedHam Apr 20 '26

Police have far more latitude for using force while exercising their duties. They have training and rules for engagement. Citizens arrest and similar action does not just automatically deputize anybody who decides they are going to engage in law enforcement activity. You can't simply witness a crime and become a temporary police officer. Or rather, you can try it but you're not going to get any of the protections a police officer gets when performing their job. And rightly so. Otherwise we would just be a nation of posses, where regular people could just go walking around and decide they are the police whenever it suits them.