Tony is playing basketball with some friends. A stranger walks onto the basketball court and pulls out a gun. The stranger tells Tony to take all of his friend’s money and give it to him or he will shoot him. Tony takes the wallets from his friend’s and gives the stranger their money.
-If Tony is charged with a crime,what element of his defense might be at issue?

Question

Tony is playing basketball with some friends. A stranger walks onto the basketball court and pulls out a gun. The stranger tells Tony to take all of his friend’s money and give it to him or he will shoot him. Tony takes the wallets from his friend’s and gives the stranger their money.
-​If Tony is charged with a crime,what element of his defense might be at issue?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All of these elements might be at issue. The nature of the threat relates to whether the stranger's demand was unlawful, the immediacy of the threat refers to whether there was an imminent danger of harm to Tony or his friends, and the level of belief regarding the threat relates to whether Tony genuinely believed that the stranger posed a threat to them. All of these elements would need to be evaluated in determining whether Tony's actions were justified or unlawful.

Tony Is Playing Basketball with Some Friends