resisting arrest meaning

Noun: resisting arrest

Physical efforts to oppose a lawful arrest; the resistance is classified as assault and battery upon the person of the police officer attempting to make the arrest

Derived forms: resisting arrests

Type of: assault, assault and battery, battery

[Law]
Taking any action to prevent one's arrest. A person may use reasonable force to resist an illegal arrest. If he resists a legal arrest, however, he lays himself open to a charge of assaulting or obstructing a police officer in the course of his duty. The fact that the police officer was in plain clothes is no defence to such a charge. The House of Lords has ruled that it is the right and duty of every citizen to take reasonable steps to prevent a breach of the peace by detaining the offender. The offender therefore has no right to resist such an arrest on the grounds of self-defence; if he uses force to do so, he may be guilty of an assault.

Examples

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let's see-we got resisting arrest, assaulting an officer,
he was shot on the spot for resisting arrest
caught after grand theft auto resisting arrest
-telling me to stop resisting arrest .-holy shit ! what'd you do
the boy was arrested for robbery, resisting arrest and possession of an offensive weapon