-3
$\begingroup$

I have a character who the police are trying to arrest for a crime that he was framed for. He doesn't want to be arrested, but rather than just change the situation, he is just not letting the police arrest him. They have already called in backup since he was running away, but I have no clue how the police would handle it. He is completely all powerful, but is making no changes to the situation except direct blocks to prevent his arrest, such as blocking bullets with his hands, not letting himself get tackled, or being stronger/faster than normal.

What steps would the police take next to arrest/subdue him? They don't know he is a god, at least at first. No matter what they do they will be unable to arrest him.

Other info:

None of the characters in the story know he is basically a god. He could just make the police forget who he was or something, but he is a bit arrogant and is trying to show off to the other main characters without revealing the scope of his power or doing anything too drastic. It is just a game to him.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
14
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I would venture to suggest that we can't actually say with any certainty how far the cops would be willing to go in your story. $\endgroup$
    – Ash
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 18:33
  • 7
    $\begingroup$ So what is your question? $\endgroup$
    – TheBlackCat
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 18:41
  • $\begingroup$ You should be more specific in your question as to what you are asking. Are you asking "The situation has escalated to its current stat A, what to the next escalations B and C look like?". At what point if any do the police disengage, and who picks up the engagement? $\endgroup$
    – Nate White
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 18:59
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ There isn't a question mark in your title or the body of your post. VTC Unclear until an actual quesiton is asked (a specific question, because quite frankly, no police force in the US is capable of arresting a god against his divine wishes. Even talking him into it doesn't constitute arrest as there is no invocation of force nor any hope of control.) $\endgroup$
    – JBH
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:02
  • $\begingroup$ If you're asking, "how would the police attempt to capture a god?", the existing answers seem complete. If you're asking "how would the police successfully capture a god?", It seems to me that, if the police eventually realize that this person is not capturable by normal physical means, and he could read their minds so they couldn't trick him, they would eventually be forced to appeal to his conscience. $\endgroup$
    – boxcartenant
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:26

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
2
$\begingroup$
  • The police will be trained to escalate force until they can make the arrest, as much as it takes, unless bystanders are endangered. Perhaps even then. And if the police can't handle it, call the National Guard.
    No truce with criminals is possible, or the state would abandon its claim to sovereignty.
  • They will start with shouted orders and the threat of using weapons. If the character does not run any more, this could continue for some time. The officers are trained to use no more force than necessary.
  • As the situation goes on, more and more officers will arive. If the character then moves in any direction, there will be officers who feel threatened and open fire.
  • That being said, the officers are not used to bulletproof suspects, especially if he character does not look like wearing armor. They might spend quite some time tasering him or trying to shoot him before they realize it is futile.
    Did he parry that bullet with his hands, or was the officer simply a bad shot?

If bullets start to fly, it could be several hundred. Only a few dozen hit the character and get parried, most of the rest simply miss, and there could be some officers or innocent bystanders to be hit. Expect more than one cop to just empty his magazine in approximately the right direction as the unexpected and stressful situation overcomes their training.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
10
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ The officers are trained to use no more force than necessary. It really doesn't look that way from where I'm sitting $\endgroup$
    – Separatrix
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:06
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @Separatrix, their training may not be sufficient to hold under stress, or they might willfully ignore their training, but they will have been taught the use of force continuum. Not sure where you are sitting, of course. $\endgroup$
    – o.m.
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:12
  • $\begingroup$ I'm sitting in a country that has an investigation to justify the action every time a police officer removes their weapon from its holster and aims it at someone. It's a very different culture. $\endgroup$
    – Separatrix
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:22
  • $\begingroup$ He did in fact parry the bullet with his hand. $\endgroup$
    – Bob
    Commented Aug 6, 2018 at 19:50
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @StephenG the headline on the question is "US Police Trying to arrest a god". I'm not sure how much more clear that could be that he is asking about US. I have several friends in law enforcement, who were trained and served in different states in the US and serve in different levels of law enforcement. They talk about this casually. $\endgroup$
    – pojo-guy
    Commented Aug 7, 2018 at 2:07
1
$\begingroup$

Sounds like you already have how far the police will go to capture him decided already.

  1. They have called in backup
  2. They have shot at him
  3. They have tried subduing him physically

Based on these actions, they will simply continue to escalate force to try to bring him in. National Guard, Helicopters, Blockades the whole nine yards. Police would keep escalation going until he is caught or they lost him. This is your story. The real question is, How far will he go to keep playing his game?

A nigh limitless powered individual becomes a celebrity for his infamous run-in with the police. Why would he allow himself to become known to everyone? It would be less of a hassle for him to explain himself or just simply escape without it being a game.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
1
$\begingroup$

Then I think it's time to break out the knockout gas. This is used a lot in fictional stories and could easily be feasible in your world. Through shooting and guard placement, they could lure him into an area that is down-wind and perhaps sectioned off, like the end of an alley, and toss a canister or two of knockout-gas in.

Another option is Chloroform, which is a sedative when inhaled. It is in liquid for however, so maybe they could switch to "paintball" guns that could shoot orbs of chloroform instead. These wouldn't easily be deflected as they would burst on impact. Or instead of a paintball gun, they could go for a full out hosing him down. Kind of hard to avoid liquid. Once it's on you, you'd definitely be inhaling the fumes.

The police would be prepared and have breathing masks, or perhaps helmets are a normal part of their gear with a breathing apparatus already installed. They could enhance the volume of their voices for crowded situations and as an added bonus filter the air (also helpful for fire situations when the air is smokey).

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .