Under common law, what could police do when pursuing a suspect who had committed a felony and fled?

• A. Call for surrender
• B. Use deadly force against any fleeing felony suspect
• C. Avoid pursuit altogether
• D. Use non-lethal force only

Answer: (B)

Under common law, police could use deadly force in hot pursuit of a felon who had just committed a serious crime and fled, to prevent the suspect’s escape when doing so was necessary to protect themselves or the public. This fleeing felon doctrine recognizes that allowing a felon to escape could pose ongoing danger, so lethal means were permitted if less-than-lethal options wouldn’t guarantee capture and there’s an imminent threat. So the option reflecting this principle is that deadly force could be used against a fleeing felony suspect. The other choices don’t capture that authorized level of force in this scenario: calling for surrender is a tactic, but it doesn’t address the lawful use of force in hot pursuit; avoiding pursuit contradicts the enforcement purpose; and non-lethal force only would not align with the historical permission to use deadly force when necessary to prevent escape.