History Main / StopOrIWillShoot

* ComicBook/Asterix runs into the AncientRome version when a centurion recognizes him as a wanted man and threatens, "Stop or I will put my pilum through your sternum!"

* AsteriskTheGaul runs into the AncientRome version when a soldier recognizes him as a wanted man and threatens, "Stop or I will put my pilum through your sternum!"

* {{Asterisk}} runs into the AncientRome version when a soldier recognizes him as the notorious Gaul and threatens, "Stop or I will put my pilium through your sternum!"

[[caption-width-right:300:Sometimes this trope is true.]]

The phrase "Stop Or I'll Shoot" embodies a common theory, popularized in fiction, that a police officer need only identify himself to a criminal suspect as an officer of the law, and that after this, if the suspect resists the officer, the officer is justified in containing the situation by any means he sees fit, up to and including deadly force.

This theory is flawed. In real life, police officers are required to use an objectively reasonable amount of force necessary to contain a situation; they can't just begin shooting or swinging their nightsticks willy-nilly whenever a perp runs or tells them off, or even if a suspect fights back. Many many lawsuits against police departments are grounded on the alleged use of "excessive force" and "PoliceBrutality". Indeed, since 1985 police are not allowed to shoot a fleeing suspect unless he or she can be shown to pose a threat of death or dangerous injury to others.

This is drifting toward DiscreditedTrope, as many current {{Police Procedural}}s depict cops using more realistic levels of force when needed; but it is by no means dead. Most often applied to {{Anti Hero}}es, whose willful use of excessive force is commonly met with disapproval from their peers or superiors; but it generally would ''not'' apply to military forces, a fascist state or other totalitarian regime, or to the BigBad and his Mooks, as these [[JustifiedTrope would be expected]] to utilize deadly force. Also, given the modern-day threat of terrorist attacks and suicide bombers, various military forces may interpret 'continuing to move towards them without stopping when demanded to' as a potentially lethal threat all by itself, especially in high-security facilities or areas at war, such as Iraq. So when the Marine gate guard says "Halt or I will fire!", it is very likely that he means ''exactly'' what he just said.

This trope is a form of ArtisticLicenseLaw. Very often occurs together with mild variants of [[ArtisticLicenseGunSafety Gun Safety Goof]] (gun safety rules are broken, though nobody gets hurt). See also SuicideByCop, PutDownYourGunAndStepAway. If the target calls their bluff, see YouWouldntShootMe.

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* [[HandWave Hand-Waved]] Reversal: JamesBond (and various imitators) is explicitly stated to have a "License To Kill".

* In the original ''TheMatrix'', just before the dramatic lobby shootout, the hordes of military Mooks position themselves behind columns with dramatic gun cocking. The head Mook then yells "Freeze!".

* ''Film/BonnieAndClyde''. The OutlawCouple are gunned down without warning in a police ambush -- this was TruthInTelevision because Barrow had shot his way out of several previous attempts to capture him.

* In Andrei Belianin's ''Tsar Gorokh's Detective Agency'' series, the main character is a modern-day cop transported into a fairy-tale tsardom, where he is asked to become a detective of sorts, as his skillset is unknown to them. Many times throughout the series he attempts to instill in the locals modern law enforcement practices with mixed results. One of these is for his squad of streltsy (guards in old Russia) to fire a warning shot before shooting a suspect. The sotnik (equivalent of captain) of the streltsy complains that it takes forever to reload their primitive hand cannons, which will allow the suspect to get away. The cop settles for "StopOrIWillShoot" instead.

* The same thing is still happening in North Korea, any one attempting to cross to escape North Korea weather their headed for South Korea or even China would be shoot right away.

* In the first issue of ''ShadeTheChangingMan'', the cops don't even finish the sentence when they see Roger (Kathy's black boyfriend who she brought to the Deep South to met her parents) wrestling with Trent (white serial killer who had just knifed Kathy's parents to death) on the lawn, they shoot Roger. They were both covered in the same blood during the struggle, though Trent was more blood-splattered for good reason. Trent lampshades the injustice by mockingly complaining about the discrimination shown against ''[[ItsAllAboutMe him]]''.

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* In the original ''TheMatrix'', just before the dramatic lobby shootout, the hordes of military Mooks position themselves behind columns with dramatic gun cocking. The head Mook then yells "Freeze!".

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--> -- ''DragonBallAbridged''

* Parodied in ''Film/RoboCop''. During a demonstration of the ED 209 law enforcement mecha, a guy is asked to point a weapon at ED. He does, and ED orders him to drop his weapon and surrender, or it will count down from 10 and shoot the guy. The guy complies, drops his weapon, and surrenders. ED continues counting down to 0 and shoots the guy anyway.

* Subverted in {{Higurashi}}. After a scuffle with some child-nappers, Detective Oishi trains a gun on them as they're running away. He doesn't shoot them though, and when asked why he says something along the lines of "I can't shoot an unarmed man in the back while he runs away!"

* [[HandWave Hand-Waved]] Reversal: JamesBond (and various imitators), explicitly stated to have a "License To Kill".
** The "00" (double 0) series of agents have a license to kill because they're ''government assassins''. That don't get to kill at random any more than the headsman of old could slaughter innocents. Instead, they're the ones called on when their political masters decide someone needs to die.
*** The short story "From a View to a Kill" makes this explicit.
*** Killing in self defense is another matter.
*** The "licence to kill" refers to having the prerogative to kill people ''other'' than his target in the midst of a mission.
**** The questionable real-world value of this kind of approach is pointed out in the Daniel Craig version of ''Film/CasinoRoyale''; Bond's actions in pursuit of the bomb-maker are action-movie standard, but his boss frostily points out that Bond has caused a public diplomatic incident in order to kill someone who was just a hired gun, and that their opponent will now just hire another one.

** The suspects even go so far as to pull out their guns and throw thems on the ground before running.

* Subverted in {{Higurashi}}. After a scuffle with some child-nappers, Detective Oishi trains a gun on them as they're running away. He doesn't shoot them though, and when asked why he says something along the lines of "I'm a police officer. I can't just shoot fleeing suspects!"

->'''Krillin''': Don't you mean '''or'' we'll shoot you'?

-->'''Marisa:''' Move and I'll shoot! ...I messed up. I mean, [[InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou shoot and I'll move]]. In a flash.

** The "00" (double 0) series of agents have a license to kill because they're ''government assassins.'' That don't get to kill at random any more than the headsman of old could slaughter innocents. Instead, they're the ones called on when their political masters decide someone needs to die.

->'''Lothar:''': "Freeze, motherfucker, or I'll kill you where you stand!"
->'''Eastwood''': "...He's running faster."
->'''Lothar''': "Ah, but he respects ''me''."
--> -- ''ExterminatusNow''

->'''Mook''': "Alright. Stay where you are and we'll shoot you!"
->'''Krillin''': "Don't you mean '''or'' we'll shoot you'?"
->'''Mook''': "We know what we said!"