Ahmaud Arbery

[Jumper_Dad]

I’m guessing the citizens arrest law will soon be revised and voided.

 

There will need to be a shoplifting exception if they change it.

[TheDeuce]

There will need to be a shoplifting exception if they change it.

 

Citizens don't have any business stopping shoplifters either.

[rjs4470]

There will need to be a shoplifting exception if they change it.

 

Are store employees still detaining shoplifters? I've been out of retail for over 10 years now, and we had stopped detaining shoplifters years before I got out. It simply became too dangerous, and opened you up to all sorts of risk and liability. I know my days of apprehending/chading shoplifters ended when a shoplifter pulled a knife on me when I was chasing after. Luckily for me, all he did was pull the knife.

[TheDeuce]

Are store employees still detaining shoplifters? I've been out of retail for over 10 years now, and we had stopped detaining shoplifters well years before I got out. It simply became too dangerous, and opened you up to all sorts of risk and liability. I know my days of apprehending/chading shoplifters ended when a shoplifter pulled a knife on me when I was chasing after. Luckily for me, all he did was pull the knife.

 

My girlfriend was in retail up until 3-4 years ago, and my understanding was they could basically let the shoplifter know they knew they were stealing, but they could not physically stop them.

[Jumper_Dad]

Citizens don't have any business stopping shoplifters either.

 

Are store employees still detaining shoplifters? I've been out of retail for over 10 years now, and we had stopped detaining shoplifters years before I got out. It simply became too dangerous, and opened you up to all sorts of risk and liability. I know my days of apprehending/chading shoplifters ended when a shoplifter pulled a knife on me when I was chasing after. Luckily for me, all he did was pull the knife.

 

My girlfriend was in retail up until 3-4 years ago, and my understanding was they could basically let the shoplifter know they knew they were stealing, but they could not physically stop them.

 

The law allows store personnel (citizens) to stop shoplifters. As far as stopping them or not, that is up to each company as to what they want to do. Many stores still detain shoplifters and prosecute them. The problem is many prosecutors have quit prosecution of thefts under $1,000, meaning that shoplifters will actually come in with a calculator, round up $900 of stuff and just walk out the door.

[John Anthony]

The law allows store personnel (citizens) to stop shoplifters. As far as stopping them or not, that is up to each company as to what they want to do. Many stores still detain shoplifters and prosecute them. The problem is many prosecutors have quit prosecution of thefts under $1,000, meaning that shoplifters will actually come in with a calculator, round up $900 of stuff and just walk out the door.

 

Far too much risk IMO. If stores are having a theft problem put more cameras in or hire a guard to sit at the door. Deterrence over citizens police.

[TheDeuce]

Far too much risk IMO. If stores are having a theft problem put more cameras in or hire a guard to sit at the door.

 

I'm all for people having guns, obviously. We have a problem in this country of people thinking they can take the law into their own hands. Let the people who are trained and paid to do it handle it. Billy Bob doesn't need to be running around pretending to be a cop.

[sportsfan41]

Why does where his car was at matter? He lives two miles away from where he was shot according to everything I’ve read. Again, what he was doing there, where he came from, etc is completely irrelevant to the fact that he was shot and killed. He had committed no crime, was unarmed, and not a threat to anyone. Why are we raising so many more questions about Ahmaud than the people who shot him?

 

The questions like the ones you are referring to are the type a defense attorney wants answered. They want to paint a broader picture of EVERYTHING leading up to that minute when the altercation occurred. If a defense attorney goes in and says, so my clients chased this guy, Ahmaud Arbery and he decided to defend himself but it didn't work out in his favor. That's not going to cut it.

 

I don't think JD or anyone asking questions about pieces to this case is trying to rationalize or defend what these two suspects did. The more information available to the public, the better we can start to see how this will play out in court. As others have alluded to, I could see how a manslaughter charge may be the end result. Defense attorney will say if they had chased Mr. Arbery with the intent to kill him, they would have ran him over or just gunned him down and kept on going. However if the prosecutors can prove that the two suspects were out of bounds in their actions and had no business engaging or even following Mr. Arbery then that will lean more towards a murder charge. With that said the defense will again say that Arbery attacked them and went after their gun. As short as the video is that set much of this in motion, it's only one piece of what the jury will be told to look at and consider.

 

At the end of the day, regardless of anyone's intent on either side, Ahmaud Arbery shouldn't have died that day.

 

One thing that hasn't been mentioned but I'm curious about is if the 2 suspects have a history of going after people they thought to be in the wrong around their neighborhood. A lot will come out in court and as the world gets back to normal.

[sportsfan41]

Citizens don't have any business stopping shoplifters either.

 

Agreed common citizens do not. I think JD was thinking along the lines of my post about loss prevention. Those folks are citizens with no arrest powers but can/will often detain a shoplifter until police arrive. Clear that up in how the law is written fairly easily and they're good to go. Average Joe customer,, with his open carry .357 magnum doesn't need to save Home Depot from losing another power tool.

 

I would also suggest loss prevention only be able to do that within their store or x amount of feet from their front doors. Anything beyond that gets dicey for both parties involved.

[sportsfan41]

Far too much risk IMO. If stores are having a theft problem put more cameras in or hire a guard to sit at the door. Deterrence over citizens police.

 

Gotta love how some places have done just that. You walk down an aisle and see yourself on a television screen as you walk by. I would have to say that helps somewhat.

[TheDeuce]

Agreed common citizens do not. I think JD was thinking along the lines of my post about loss prevention. Those folks are citizens with no arrest powers but can/will often detain a shoplifter until police arrive. Clear that up in how the law is written fairly easily and they're good to go. Average Joe customer,, with his open carry .357 magnum doesn't need to save Home Depot from losing another power tool.

 

I would also suggest loss prevention only be able to do that within their store or x amount of feet from their front doors. Anything beyond that gets dicey for both parties involved.

 

Yeah I was thinking of citizens not affiliated with a particular retail store.

 

Also agree about LP only having very little "jurisdiction."

[sportsfan41]

Yeah I was thinking of citizens not affiliated with a particular retail store.

 

Also agree about LP only having very little "jurisdiction."

 

No doubt and that's why when they do revise the current law in Georgia they need to be very specific with their wording. I've heard some loss prevention horror stories. That's all for another thread though.

[John Anthony]

I'm all for people having guns, obviously. We have a problem in this country of people thinking they can take the law into their own hands. Let the people who are trained and paid to do it handle it. Billy Bob doesn't need to be running around pretending to be a cop.

 

Agreed and bizarrely enough some states have laws permitting it.

[John Anthony]

New info: Carr is the Georgia A.G.

 

Tom Durden, the D.A. in nearby Hinesville, next took the case, and made little apparent progress until the video emerged and he called in the GBI. On Monday, Carr replaced him with Cobb County District Attorney Joyette M. Holmes, one of only seven black county prosecutors in Georgia.

 

She's based in metro Atlanta, far from the coastal Georgia community in Glynn County where the shooting happened, and is "a respected attorney with experience, both as a lawyer and a judge,” said Carr.

[Randy Parker]

Why does where his car was at matter? He lives two miles away from where he was shot according to everything I’ve read. Again, what he was doing there, where he came from, etc is completely irrelevant to the fact that he was shot and killed. He had committed no crime, was unarmed, and not a threat to anyone. Why are we raising so many more questions about Ahmaud than the people who shot him?

 

Exactly.

 

What we see on the video is clear. Private citizen(s) killing another private citizen who posed no threat to anyone at the time.

 

This isn't hard.