Empty Hands
Senior Master
This thread is now about ninjas:
My intense citizens arrest
- Thread starter BloodMoney
- Start date
You're babbling mate.
Tanaka, doing what you think right when you've been given guidance as to what is considered right in your situation is foolhardy. The NZ law says not to lay hand on a shoplifter and they can't be physically restrained by a civilian so why chase him down the road and assault him. Yes, the shoplifter is a criminal but two wrongs don't make a right.
To be precise, there were off-duty police chasing the offender as well. There's a wonderful bit about Australian cops (and NZ laws are extremely similar, so I'm assuming this might be too) that as long as the police aren't drunk or otherwise compromised, they're still able to act as police officers as long as they declare it.
That takes the shoplifters offences from, theft (or whatever precise legal term is used) and assault, to include resisting lawful arrest. The latter enables a lot more leeway in what bystanders are entitled to do. Keeping in mind he complied with police direction (to a possibly ridiculous extreme).
As to the truth of the story, I'm personally on the fence, it could have happened and been exaggerated. But then, someone pumped up on adrenaline could be a black belt and sound the same.
I doubt he was pumped up with adrenaline when he wrote it unless he rushed back straight after it happened to get online to tell us. He would have had time to sit and tell us in a disciplined, modest manner that didn't slag off everyone but him.
Police officers are always police officers whether technically off duty or not. It's something that can annoy our partners lol.
