4 ms·

He was never arrested but rather detailed.

• mcguire 12y ago
  The difference between arrest and detainment is one of the troubling issues in these kinds of stories. He would have been better off if he had been arrested.
• goodcanadian 12y ago
  A common misconception. Police try to make that distinction to avoid complaints, but the fact is that if they stop you for even a moment on the street to talk to you, from a legal point or view, you have been arrested. If you ask if you are free to go, and the answer is not an immediate, "yes," you have been arrested. There are clear rules about when they can do that and how long they can hold you without charge. He was definitely arrested. I'm a bit surprised that he did not win an unlawful confinement suit, but then I don't know all of the details.
• joshuaheard 12y ago
  The issue is whether you are free to leave. If a cop stops you on the street and asks you some questions, you are detained. If a cop puts hand cuffs on you, or puts you in the back of his car, or in a jail cell, you are arrested.