The use of firearms to detain persons or vehicles violating the laws: to fire or not to fire?

Straipsnyje gvildenami šaunamojo ginklo panaudojimo sulaikant asmenis ar transporto priemones teisiniai standartai ir aktuali teismų praktika. Autorius ypatingą dėmesį skiria tiek faktiniam, tiek ir teisiniam pagrindui panaudoti šaunamąjį ginklą, kai siekiant nutraukti daromą teisės pažeidimą reikia sulaikyti asmenis ar transporto priemones. Analizuojama kasacinės instancijos teismo praktika, susiformavusi vertinant teisėtumą žalos, padarytos policijos pareigūno, kuris panaudoja šaunamąjį ginklą stabdydamas transporto priemonę, bei aptariamos šio teismo suformuotos tokių situacijų vertinimui reikšmingos aplinkybės.The article focuses on the legal standards and relevant case law on the use of firearm in the apprehension of people or motor vehicles. The author pays special attention to the determination of both actual and legal grounds for the use of firearm in the apprehension of people or motor vehicles with the aim to interrupt an ongoing violation of law. The article also analyses practice of the cassation court in the determination of legitimacy of the damage done when a police officer uses firearm to stop a motor vehicle, and it distinguishes circumstances the court deems relevant for the assessment of such situations. In the use of firearms, criteria of lawfulness and reasonableness become of the key importance. The fact that a person is driving drunk and refuses to follow a policeman's instruction to stop does not automatically mean the necessity to use firearm to stop the vehicle even though the refusal to use firearm leads towards failure to apprehend the offender