Georgia to Become the First State to Felonize Citizen's Arrest

[Mrs_Esterhouse]

With yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee vote to unanimously approve HB 479, the bill will now advance to the Senate floor where it is expected to pass with no resistance. Gov. Kemp and The Georgia General Assembly seek to felonize citizen's arrests with the hope it will prevent an embarrassing repeat of the Ahmaud Arbery killing.

What does this bill do? It felonizes any citizen's arrest no matter how heinous criminal or the crime unless you fall into at least one of the four enumerated categories called "Private Persons":

1) An owner of a retail establishment
2) An owner of a food service establishment
3) A weight inspector under Article 5 of Chapter 2 of Title 35
4) A licensee or registrant under Chapter 38 of Title 43

If you don't qualify as a Private Person after this law passes and you arrest a fleeing: murderer, child rapist, armed robber or any other criminal, you stand to be charged with false imprisonment, a 10 year felony in Georgia.

Good Samaritans at a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta performed a citizen's arrest of a fleeing armed robber. Their good deed is a felony under HB 479 as none of the people who made the arrest were Private Persons.

https://www.11alive.com/article/new...fil-a/85-b2e9ab34-68cc-489e-9cf6-cc66facc60ef

 

[500mag]

Bull****! I damn sure will hold someone at gunpoint if they try to rob me.

 

[Mrs_Esterhouse]

Bull****! I damn sure will hold someone at gunpoint if they try to rob me.

If you don't have a forgiving DA, I will visit you in prison.

 

[hikingthehills]

I hate to say this but Alabama is looking better and better.

 

[StuP]

So let me get this right; someone physically attacks you, you manage to defend yourself and then restrain them, (otherwise they might attack you again), you're guilty ?

 

[BasedPatriot]

Soooo a criminal breaks into your home, you catch them, but can't hold them, or else you are a felon?

BTW, this law also enables police officers to make arrests outside their jurisdictions.

 

[Shortcut]

I see lots of issues with this plan. many mentioned already in this thread

 

[CAD Jedi]

just choot'em and claim stand your ground. He was coming right for me!

 

[Mrs_Esterhouse]

Soooo a criminal breaks into your home, you catch them, but can't hold them, or else you are a felon?

If they were fleeing your property and you arrest them while they were fleeing, then yes, a felony.

 

[500mag]

just choot'em and claim stand your ground. He was coming right for me!

That way there is no "arrest".