Resisting unlawful arrest
Resisting unlawful arrest is a possible
justification for breaking the
law. Defendants who use this
defense are arguing that they should not be held
liable for a
crime, since the
actionss taken were intended to protect them from an unlawful
arrest. Many courts will not tolerate any
violence whatsoever (committed while resisting an unlawful arrest), and almost certainly not "deadly force", unless the
police began to use violence
before the defendant began to do so. In short, a defendant might be justified in running away from police attempting an unlawful arrest; but, almost certainly will not be considered justified in
shooting police who attempt to do so (unless the defendant can somehow
prove self-defense).