Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

S.C. Code Ann. § 17-13-20

Additional circumstances when citizens may arrest; means to be used

Applied in 3 court decisions — leading case State v. McAteer (1998)

Most recently applied in State v. Boswell (March 2011)

1962 Code SECTION 17-252; 1952 Code SECTION 17-252; 1942 Code SECTION 908; 1932 Code SECTION 908; Cr

How often courts cite this section

199820002010201110
citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

A citizen may arrest a person in the nighttime by efficient means as the darkness and the probability of escape render necessary, even if the life of the person should be taken, when the person:

(a) has committed a felony;

(b) has entered a dwelling house without express or implied permission;

(c) has broken or is breaking into an outhouse with a view to plunder;

(d) has in his possession stolen property; or

(e) being under circumstances which raise just suspicion of his design to steal or to commit some felony, flees when he is hailed.

Official source: South Carolina Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain South Carolina statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.