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Arkansas · Snapshot open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-17

Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-611: Use of physical force by private person aiding law enforcement officers

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. AR Code
  2. Title 5
  3. Chapter 2
  4. Subchapter 6

(a) A person is justified in using nondeadly physical force when and to the extent the person reasonably believes the use of nondeadly physical force is necessary to: (1) Effect the arrest of a person reasonably believed to be committing or to have committed a felony; or (2) Prevent the escape of a person reasonably believed to have committed a felony. (b) A person who has been directed by a law enforcement officer to assist in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape is justified in using nondeadly physical force when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes the use of nondeadly physical force is necessary to carry out the law enforcement officer's direction. (c) A person who has been directed by a law enforcement officer to assist in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape is justified in using deadly physical force if the person reasonably believes the use of deadly physical force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force. Acts 1975, No. 280, § 511; 1977, No. 474, § 2; A.S.A. 1947, § 41-511.

(a) A person is justified in using nondeadly physical force when and to the extent the person reasonably believes the use of nondeadly physical force is necessary to: (1) Effect the arrest of a person reasonably believed to be committing or to have committed a felony; or (2) Prevent the escape of a person reasonably believed to have committed a felony.

(1) Effect the arrest of a person reasonably believed to be committing or to have committed a felony; or

(2) Prevent the escape of a person reasonably believed to have committed a felony.

(b) A person who has been directed by a law enforcement officer to assist in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape is justified in using nondeadly physical force when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes the use of nondeadly physical force is necessary to carry out the law enforcement officer's direction.

(c) A person who has been directed by a law enforcement officer to assist in effecting an arrest or in preventing an escape is justified in using deadly physical force if the person reasonably believes the use of deadly physical force is necessary to defend himself or herself or a third person from what the person reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly physical force.

Collected 2026-09-17T21:35:43Z. Source file · JSON

Compilation CC BY 4.0, Open US Law (Vaquill AI). GroundRules uses only the releases published under CC BY 4.0: from v2026.09 the compilation is licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, and GroundRules does not use those releases. Each affected row names its release in its vintage label. GroundRules parsed and filtered the compilation to retain enacted text. Source · License

Arkansas electronic product files were republished by Public.Resource.Org under a public-domain mark. GroundRules uses enacted text from Release 78 only as a labeled supplement to the newer Open US Law rows. Source

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