EXCESSIVE FORCE - A law enforcement officer has the right to use such force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances to make a lawful arrest.
Using excessive force may expose the arresting person to a charge of assault or a tort liability claim, although some states were quite liberal in terms of encouraging the use of deadly force in some situations (see, for example, Dumb, ...
The four officers were charged with numerous criminal counts, including assault with a deadly weapon, the use of excessive force, and filing a false police report.
The force used in self-defense may be sufficient for protection from apparent harm (not just an empty verbal threat) or to halt any danger from attack, but cannot be an excuse to continue the attack or use excessive force.
 See also: Office, Attorney, Reference, Attorn, Use
  
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