Walk It Through: The Lights That Were Not Stopped For
A Nevada driver who kept going, from the lights and siren to the force used and the clock on the charge.
Red lamp and siren come on behind a car on a quiet road. The driver panics and keeps going for a mile before pulling over.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One flight on one quiet road. Whether the stop was lawful, a claim for excessive force, and the period for filing a charge in the first place are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Deadly forceForce an officer may use to make an arrest only after a warning if feasible, and only with probable cause to believe the person committed a felony involving the infliction or threat of serious bodily harm or the use of deadly force, or poses an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to the officer or others.
- Objectively reasonable forceThe only level of force an officer uses when force is necessary: what is objectively reasonable under the circumstances to bring the incident or person under control and accomplish a lawful purpose.
- Failing to stop for a peace officerWillfully failing to stop, or fleeing or trying to elude, when a peace officer in a readily identifiable vehicle signals by flashing red lamp and siren, a misdemeanor.