Resisting arrest not justified: who may not use force to resist arrest?

• A. Nobody can use force to resist arrest from a peace officer, whether the arrest is legal or not.
• B. A citizen may resist arrest if the officer is acting illegally.
• C. A private security guard may resist arrest.
• D. A person may resist arrest to protect a third party.

Answer: (A)

In this scenario, the important idea is that you generally may not use force to resist an arrest by a peace officer. Officers have the legal authority to detain someone, and allowing people to physically oppose an arrest—even if the officer seems to be acting illegally—creates significant danger for everyone involved. Because of that risk, the standard rule is that resisting an arrest is not justified, and the proper response if you believe an arrest is unlawful is to comply at the moment and challenge it later through legal avenues (court challenges, complaints, or appeals).

The notion that a citizen could resist if the officer is acting illegally, or that a private security guard or someone protecting a third party could resist, does not align with this common rule for resisting arrest by a peace officer. Those ideas might have other separate considerations, but for resisting an arrest by a peace officer, the permitted course during the incident is to avoid force and submit, then pursue lawful remedies afterward.