Murphysboro, IL asked in Civil Rights for Illinois

Q: If I was arrested for dui and while I was handcuffed and seat belted in cop car and was choked do i have a civil case?

Did not resit at all was compliant

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Andy Hale
PREMIUM
Answered

A: The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution - as well as most state laws - hold that law enforcement officers may only use reasonable force to effect an arrest. If an individual is offering no resistance, the law enforcement officer is only permitted to use minimal force (such as handcuffing) to take the person into custody. Many jurisdictions hold that the use of a chokehold can constitute deadly force. It is well-established that deadly force may only be used by a law enforcement officer when a civilian poses an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to that officer or another; if the civilian is no such threat, then the use of deadly force would be unreasonable. If a law enforcement officer used some type of neck restraint - or chokehold - while you were not offering any resistance, you may have a valid civil claim against the officer. Hope this helps.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.