GA Repeals Citizens Arrest Law After Vigilante Killing

Law & Crime reports:

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed bipartisan legislation on Monday repealing a Civil War-era citizen’s arrest law used to defend three white men accused of chasing down Ahmaud Arbery and fatally shooting him. The men claimed they suspected Arbery had just committed a crime.

Lawmakers in the Georgia House and Senate passed HB 479 and thus overwhelmingly approved the measure which prohibits Georgia citizens from forcefully detaining a person if a crime is committed in their presence or “within their immediate knowledge.”

The new law, signed 14 months after Arbery’s death, does have exceptions for self-defense and allows the operators of public businesses to hold suspected thieves until authorities arrive.

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