| v. t. | 1. | To stop; to check or hinder the motion or action of; | |||
| 2. | (Law) To take, seize, or apprehend by authority of law; | ||||
| 3. | To seize on and fix; to hold; to catch; | ||||
| 4. | To rest or fasten; to fix; to concentrate. | ||||
| v. i. | 1. | To tarry; to rest. | |||
| n. | 1. | The act of stopping, or restraining from further motion, etc.; stoppage; hindrance; restraint; | |||
| 2. | (Law) The taking or apprehending of a person by authority of law; legal restraint; custody. Also, a decree, mandate, or warrant. | ||||
| 3. | Any seizure by power, physical or moral. | ||||
| 4. | (Far.) A scurfiness of the back part of the hind leg of a horse; - also named rat-tails.
| ||||
| Noun | 1. | arrest - the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal); "the policeman on the beat got credit for the collar" |
| 2. | arrest - the state of inactivity following an interruption; "the negotiations were in arrest"; "held them in check"; "during the halt he got some lunch"; "the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow"; "he spent the entire stop in his seat" | |
| Verb | 1. | arrest - take into custody; "the police nabbed the suspected criminals" |
| 2. | arrest - hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth of communism in Sout East Asia"; "Contain the rebel movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism" | |
| 3. | arrest - attract and fix; "His look caught her"; "She caught his eye"; "Catch the attention of the waiter" | |
| 4. | arrest - cause to stop; "Halt the engines"; "Arrest the progress"; "halt the presses" |
ARREST. To stop; to seize; to deprive one of his liberty by virtue of legal authority.
ARREST, in criminal cases. The apprehending or detaining of the person, in
order to be forthcoming to answer an alleged or suspected crime. The word
arrest is more properly used in civil cases, and apprehension in criminal. A
man is arrested under a capias ad respondendum, apprehended under a warrant
charging him with a larceny.
2. It will be convenient to consider, 1, who may be arrested; 2, for
what crimes; 3, at what time; 4, in what places; 5, by whom and by what
authority.
3.-1. Who may be arrested. Generally all persons properly accused of
a crime or misdemeanor, may be arrested; by the laws of the United States,
ambassadors (q.v.) and other public ministers are exempt from arrest.
4.-2. For what offences an arrest may be made. It may be made for
treason, felony, breach of the peace, or other misdemeanor.
5.-3. At what time. An arrest may be made in the night as well as in
the day time and for treasons, felonies, and breaches of the peace, on
Sunday as well as on other days. It may be made before as well as after
indictment found. Wallace's R. 23.
6.-4. At what places. No place affords protection to offenders
against the criminal law; a man may therefore be arrested in his own house,
(q.v.) which may be broken into for the purpose of making the arrest.
7.-5. Who may arrest and by what authority. An offender may be
arrested either without a warrant or with a warrant. First, an arrest may be
made without a warrant by a private individual or by a peace officer.
Private individuals are enjoined by law to arrest an offender when present
at the time a felony is committed, or a dangerous wound given. 11 Johns. R.
486 and vide Hawk. B. 1, c, 12, s. 1; c. 13, F3. 7, 8; 4 Bl. Com. 292; 1
Hale, 587; Com. Dig. Imprisonment, H 4; Bac. Ab. Trespass, D.
3. Peace officers may, a fortiori, make an arrest for a crime or
misdemeanor committed in their view, without any warrant. 8 Serg. & R. 47.
An arrest may therefore be made by a constable, (q.v.) a justice of the
peace, (q.v.) sheriff, (q.v.) or coroner. (q.v.) Secondly, an arrest may
be made by virtue of a warrant, (q.v.) which is the proper course when the
circumstances of the case will permit it. Vide, generally, 1 Chit. Cr. Law,
11 to 71; Russ. on Cr. Index, h.t.
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