History Main / StopOrIWillShoot

* Mostly averted in ''{{Postal}} 2'' -- the cops will shout this if you commit a crime and run away, but won't actually shoot unless you pull out a weapon.

* In the original ''Film/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!" in spite of the fact that Neo and Trinity had already slaughtered a group of guards and are advancing on them with their guns brandished.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' they shot at Bart with shotguns for not going to Ralph's birthday party.
** In TheMovie they shot at Bart for skateboarding naked, parodying how FCC\MPAA\etc are much more lax towards violence than nudity\sex.

->'''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!
--> -- ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged''

The phrase "Stop Or I'll Shoot" embodies a common idea, 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.

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''. 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!"
** The suspects even go so far as to pull out their guns and drop them on the ground before running. Noting this Oishi remarks they were probably professionals.

[[folder:Comics]]

[[folder:Film]]

* ''Film/JamesBond''
** Bond himself is explicitly stated to have a "License To Kill." He's essentially a government assassin.

* In ''Fool Moon'', book two of Literature/TheDresdenFiles, Harry is shot at by FBI agents as he flees arrest. [[LampshadeHanging As they are shooting at him he explicitly thinks about how they are]] ''[[LampshadeHanging not]]'' [[LampshadeHanging supposed to be allowed to shoot him for fleeing]]. [[spoiler:[[JustifiedTrope It turns out the agents are actually the villains of the book, and have been planning for several chapters to kill him and frame him for their own crimes]].]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Counter-example: the docu-drama series ''Series/{{Cops}}''. If you watched about fifteen cops wrestle down a large, uncooperative, but unarmed suspect, and wondered why someone didn't just whip out a club and [[TapOnTheHead knock the guy out]], the answer is that it's not allowed.
** In one of the earliest episodes a rookie cop, more or less says the trope title ("Stop or I'll shoot you in the back") he has never heard the end of this.

** Instructor: "And what do we do after the suspect is in custody?"
** Kowalski: "...Kick them in the head?"

[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]

* The opening "Are you a {{Munchkin}}?" quiz in ''TheMunchkinsGuideToPowerGaming'':
-> An enemy is fleeing. What do you shout?
-> a. "Stop!"
-> b. "Stop or I shoot!"
-> c. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! ''"FREEZE!"'' (reload) BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!

[[folder:Theatre]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Subverted in ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' season one, when David Jackson tries this on a [[AxCrazy crazed]] and paranoid Andrew Klock who is steadily advancing on his group. [[TooDumbToLive Andrew ignores his warnings]], even when David pulls out his gun and points it at his head, and eventually breaks into a full on charge. This causes David to panic and pull the trigger, shooting Andrew right between the eyes.
[[/folder]]

'''Dilbert:''' Stop ''and'' we'll shoot? If you're going to shoot, why should we stop?
-->'''Cop:''' The targets at the firing range don't move.
-->'''Cop:''' Hold your fire, he's running....

[[folder:Other]]
* A Russian joke subverts this trope. "Stop, I'll shoot!" "Stopping!" "Shooting!"
* Firearms instructor Massad Ayoob relates how he was told by officers in one police department that they had the statutory authority to shoot a fleeing suspect. As there'd been an outcry in a neighbouring department over just such an incident, Ayoob decided to speak to their District Attorney, who replied: "Yes, they have the legal authority to shoot, but that doesn't mean they won't get in a shitload of trouble if they do."
* Creator/RobinWilliams, during his performance at the Met, covered this trope with a few different types of cops:
** L.A. cops: "Stop, or I'll shoot!"
** West Hollywood cops: "Stop! Those shoes don't go with those pants!"
** Cops in London: "The police don't have a gun, and you don't have a gun, so it's 'Stop!... or I'll say stop again!'"
* Any statute in the US that allows police to do this in any circumstance is automatically unconstitutional. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tennessee_v._Garner See Tennessee v. Garner]] Such deadly force is only valid if "the suspect threatens the officer with a weapon or there is probable cause to believe that he has committed a crime involving the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical harm . . . if, where feasible, some warning has been given."
** That said, don't think the rules apply the same way towards ''Military Police''. While they have many of the same restrictions on use of force when not on the battlefield, there is a short list of things that ''will'' get you shot quickly, such as threatening a human life (the soldier or a bystander), or threatening highly important strategic assets, such as nuclear weapons, The President, or certain facilities. Mind you, they tend not to keep those strategic assets just lying around, so you will really have to ''try'' if you are going to approach them.
*** There was an incident in Arizona where two teenage car thieves, trying to evade the cops, took a wrong turn and went barreling through the security gate at an Air Force base. The guards, having no way of knowing what the intentions were of the occupants of the speeding car evidently trying to force its way into a secured military installation, opened fire on the car and killed one of the occupants.
* This is standard operating procedure in [[UsefulNotes/SingaporeansWithStealthFrigates Singaporean army camps]], where two stops ''"Stop!"'' separated by a pause, then ''"Stop or I will shoot!"'' are being shouted to someone with hostile intent charging the camp guard.
** It should be noted that even when the last warning goes unheeded, standard ROE still dictates that a warning shot be fired first, followed by going for the limbs first. Proper escalation of force is still in effect.
** Generations of British servicemen and women who did at least one tour of duty in [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles Northern Ireland]] will know the above as ''"the Yellow Card Warning"'', to allow you to demonstrate in court afterwards that you gave the perp every opportunity to lower their weapon and surrender before you opened fire.

* In France, unlike the National Police, which is civilian and under the general self-defence rules of the Penal Code, the Gendarmerie is military and thus under the Defence Code, and allowed to shot fleeing suspects if they didn't stop to the cries of "Halte gendarmerie" and no other means exists.

* In the first issue of ''ComicBook/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 himself]]''.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/use_of_deadly_force_authorized_8299.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:TruthInTelevision]]

->'''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!

* ''Arm of the Law'' by Creator/HarryHarrison. A policeman shouts "Stop them!" to his RobotBuddy, who is compelled to [[ThreeLawsCompliant obey what it sees as an order]], and uses its .75 recoilless HeadCannon to neatly PopTheTires. The criminals are so rattled they surrender quietly.

*

This idea is flawed. In real life, police officers are required to use a reasonable amount of force, ideally the minimum 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 standard operating procedure in Singaporean army camps, where two stops ''"Stop!"'' separated by a paused, then ''"Stop or I will shoot!"'' are being shouted to someone with hostile intent charging the camp guard.

* Subverted in ''TheSilenceOfTheLambs''. Clarice ''not'' being able to do this is why she has to chase Buffalo Bill into his basement. When she pulls her gun on him he just flees the room and she can't shoot him.

* Subverted in one of the RogueWarrior novels. One of the characters is a former cop who yells for a man, later revealed to be a bodyguard, to surrender during a hostage rescue on a plane. Problem is, the rescue team are SEALS. They're not meant to shout "Freeze motherfucker or name your beneficiary," anyone waving a gun about during a firefight is fair game, and despite the officer's efforts, the innocent bodyguard was gunned down.

* A Russian anecdote subverts this trope. "Stop, I'll shoot!" "Stopping!" "Shooting!"

* Justified in ''HarrisonBergeron'' in that it is said in an oppressive dystopia, and the speaker has an insane amount of power.

* WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse, of all characters, pulls this on WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck in the short ''WesternAnimation/SymphonyHour''!

* MickeyMouse, of all characters, pulls this on DonaldDuck in the short ''SymphonyHour''!

-->'''Cops:''' Stop and we'll shoot!
-->'''Dilbert:''' Stop ''and'' we'll shoot? If you're going to shoot, why should we stop?

%% Please one quote only on the main page. Additional quotes can go the the sub-page.

* In the first issue of ''ComicBook/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 himself]]''.

* The first ''Film/{{Blade}}'' film takes this to particular extremes. A group of police officers shout "Freeze!" at Blade and then open fire on him before he has even moved, and a later group continues shooting at him with barely any warning (even bringing out an automatic rifle) while he is carrying a civilian. It's ''just'' about possible that these were police who were in the pocket of vampires, or that they recognised Blade as a wanted and dangerous criminal, but it is still a stretch.
* ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan''. Cops are very aggressive in this film and open fire on Spider-Man twice onscreen. The first time he was doing nothing but ''talking'' to the cop, and the cop almost accidentally killed the man Spider-Man had webbed up. Apparently the police officer was assuming Spiderman's webslingers were deadly weapons, and so therefore he felt justified in brandishing a weapon

* ''Film/TinkerTailorSoldierSpy''. British spy Jim Prideaux realises he's under surveillance and starts walking away. A Hungarian secret service agent races into the street, yelling for him to stop and firing a warning shot (which ends up in the head of an InnocentBystander). The other secret police agents start shouting at him to calm down, as the alley is already blocked off by the secret police, but the man puts a second bullet into Jim's back, much to the KGB's fury as they wanted him alive.
* PlayedForLaughs in ''Film/AdeleHasntHadHerDinnerYet''. Nick Carter, an American private eye investigating in Prague, but cooperating with a local police commissioner, uses this phrase twice when he's chasing a suspect. The suspect is at that point confirmed to be helping The Gardener, who is a mysterious criminal master mind, responsible for the disappearance Nick is investigating and they know they plan a murder. While going after him, he accidentally meets his LoveInterest who doesn't know he's a detective, and he tells her that he's playing a game of "Cops & Robbers" with a friend.

* In ''Fool Moon'', book two of Literature/TheDresdenFiles, Harry is shot at by FBI agents as he flees arrest. [[LampshadeHanging As they are shooting at him he explicitly thinks about how they are]] ''[[LampshadeHanging not]]'' [[LampshadeHanging supposed to be allowed to shoot him for fleeing]]. [[spoiler: [[JustifiedTrope It turns out the agents are actually the villains of the book, and have been planing for several chapters to kill him and frame him for their own crimes]].]]

* ''Literature/The39Clues'' Isabel Kabra. [[spoiler: Only, it's more like, start obeying me again, son, or I'll shoot your sister. And she does, but in the foot and only as a warning.... And then she threatens to shoot practically everybody.]]
** Plus, she's not a cop- just a [[RichBitch mega-rich evil lady]] capable of probably bribing cops into not arresting her. [[spoiler: Except for in Book 10.]]
* Subverted in one of the RogueWarrior novels. One of the characters is a former cop who yells for a man, later revealed to be a bodyguard, to surrender during a hostage rescue on a plane. Problem is, the rescue team are SEALS. They're not meant to shout "Freeze motherfucker or name your beneficiary," anyone waving a gun about during a firefight is fair game, and despite the officer's efforts the innocent bodyguard was gunned down.

** An interesting aversion to this occurs in the more recent ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games. When the player character gets a single wanted star, police officers will approach and attempt to subdue and arrest the player nonlethally, ''unless'' the character has drawn a firearm. At that point they open fire. Progressing to a second star, which generally involves inflicting significant property damage or killing civilians/police, will result in the police simply opening fire and keep on shooting until you're dead.

* Played straight for ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto''. Alright, the way most people play, the cops would be perfectly justified in shooting at your character. Sometimes though, it's less justified, especially when you're comitting non-violent crimes, they'll still shoot.

* This sort of behavior was the basis of the scandal involving Seattle police officer Ian Birk, who shot and killed a Native American woodcarver named John T. Williams he believed was brandishing a knife. However, the dashcam from his police car, while not showing the actual shooting, did demonstrate that there were mere seconds between Birk seeing Williams walking along the street and Williams being shot dead, making it unlikely Williams could even have had the opportunity to do anything threatening. The case was resolved by an internal review declaring the shooting unjustified, and Birk resigned from the force, however no charges were brought against him.

* ''The39Clues'' Isabel Kabra. [[spoiler: Only, it's more like, start obeying me again, son, or I'll shoot your sister. And she does, but in the foot and only as a warning.... And then she threatens to shoot practically everybody.]]

%% * Parodied in the Sylvester Stallone action-comedy ''Film/StopOrMyMomWillShoot''.

* Averted in {{Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' game series. Produced by real-life police officers, the games require you to follow proper police procedure (don't worry, it's AllThereInTheManual). Failure to do so will give you an abrupt game over.

** Generations of British servicemen and women who did at least one tour of duty in [[TheTroubles Northern Ireland]] will know the above as ''"the Yellow Card Warning"'', to allow you to demonstrate in court afterwards that you gave the perp every opportunity to lower their weapon and surrender before you opened fire.

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in ''Film/DemolitionMan'' when the police first approach [[BigBad Simon Phoenix]]. The first command is "Simon Phoenix, lay down, on the ground, with your hands behind your back." Simon responds with "[[DeadpanSnarker Oh, I'm so scared!]]" The cop follows with "Lie down, on the ground... Or ELSE!" There was no "or else" to fall back on. The police in the ultra-peaceful San Angeles not only didn't have guns to shoot with, they didn't have proper training or even ''procedures'' to deal with violent criminals. Nevermind complete psychopaths.

** Plus, she's not a cop- just a [[RichBitch mega-rich evil lady]] capable of probably bribing cops into not arresting her. [[spoiler: Except for in Book 10. :)]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'', Uncle Ruckus is told by police officers to get out of his truck and show them I.D. even though he was doing nothing and in fact was the one that ''called them''. Even though Ruckus fully cooperated, and told the officers what he was doing, when he pulled out his wallet, a cop shouted "GUN!!!" and they [[MoreDakka opened fire]]. [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy They missed]]. Then he tried to pull out a ''spare'' '''safety orange''' wallet. Cue another "GUN!!!" and Ruckus being brutally beaten by Night sticks.