Art. 220 Submission to arrest; use of force

If police are lawfully arresting you, you are required to go along with it peacefully. You cannot fight back, resist, or try to stop the arrest, even if you think it's unfair or you plan to argue about it later in court.

The officer making the arrest is allowed to use reasonable force to take you into custody and keep you detained. This means they can use physical force if needed, especially if you resist or even if you just threaten to resist. The key word is "reasonable." The force used has to match the situation. Officers can't use more force than necessary to get the job done.

The right way to handle a disagreement about an arrest is to cooperate at the scene and then challenge it later through proper legal steps, like talking to a lawyer or raising the issue in court. Resisting an arrest, even one you believe is wrong, can lead to additional charges and gives officers legal grounds to use more force to gain control.