ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Citizen's arrest in the United States

So kiddo, you know how sometimes police officers catch bad guys and put them in jail? Well, did you know that regular people like you and me can also arrest bad guys in some situations? This is called a citizen's arrest!

But before you go around trying to arrest people, we need to understand some rules. In the United States, each state has its own laws about when a citizen's arrest is allowed. So it's important to learn the rules in your state first.

Generally, a citizen's arrest is allowed when a person sees someone committing a crime, like stealing or hurting someone else. If you witness this happening, you can tell the bad guy that they are under arrest and then call the police right away. The police will come and take the bad guy to jail.

However, there are some important things to remember. First, it's only allowed if the crime is happening right now or just happened. You can't arrest someone for something they did in the past.

Second, you must use reasonable force to make the arrest. That means you can't hurt the bad guy or use weapons unless you really need to protect yourself or others.

Finally, you need to be sure you have the right person. You don't want to accidentally arrest someone who was innocent!

So remember, a citizen's arrest is a way for regular people to help police catch bad guys, but there are rules to follow and it's important to be safe and careful.