defense of others
Guarding third parties
Defense of others is a legal justification for using force to protect someone from imminent harm.
Like self-defense, it typically requires that the threat be immediate and the response proportionate: He claimed defense of others after intervening in the attack.
The defender must reasonably believe the third party faced unlawful violence.
- reasonable forceLegally justified physical intervention
- use of forcePhysical compulsion to comply
- heroismExceptional courage under duress
- stand your groundRefuse to back down
- moral obligationEthics-based required action
moral duty · justifiable homicide · intervenor · stepping in · altruism · bystander effect · duty to rescue · innocent bystander · Good Samaritan laws · utilitarianism · criminal liability · castle doctrine · legal justification · protective barriers · ethical dilemmas · deontology · legal immunity · rescue