Being confronted by police officers can be an intimidating experience, even if you know you haven’t done anything wrong. How you respond to a situation like this could potentially have serious ramifications.
While it’s certainly not easy, the best option is to remain calm. You’re not obliged to answer questions, but you should avoid becoming argumentative. One thing that you definitely shouldn’t do is run away, and here’s why.
It’s potentially dangerous
The overwhelming majority of police officers have no intention of harming you. If you’ve committed no offense, then you may be told you can be on your way after just a few minutes. If you run, however, then the police will likely pursue you. This will involve not only the initial officers but their backup. It’s unlikely that anyone running from the police gets away.
More importantly, you could run into oncoming traffic and the police might even use force to catch you. You might be injured during the pursuit.
You may be giving them reason to stop you
While the police can talk to you, you’re not obliged to answer their questions. To stop you from going about your day, they must have reasonable suspicion that an offense has been committed. If you don’t run, they have nothing. If you do run, then they may have reason to suspect that an offense has been committed, leading to further investigations.
You could face charges
Resisting arrest is an offense in Oklahoma. Officers are entitled to perform their duties without obstruction. If they had a valid reason to stop you, then you cannot use force or run to prevent them carrying out these duties.
Even if it later turns out that their suspicions were wrong, resisting is a separate offense and you may still face charges.
Running from the police is never advisable. A better step is to seek legal guidance as soon as possible.