Resisting Officer With Violence
Knowingly and willfully resisting, obstructing, or opposing a legally authorized person, police canine, or police horse by offering or doing violence.
Florida Statute
§ 843.01
Resisting, obstructing, or opposing by offering or doing violence to legally authorized person, police canine, or police horse
Verified against the 2026 Florida Statutes: September 13, 2026
Quick Summary
Choose the officer-or-authorized-person track or the police-canine-or-horse track. Both require knowing and willful resistance, qualifying lawful-duty facts, and offered or actual violence.
Classification Matrix
Use this as a quick classification reference. Specific facts, statutory circumstances, and charging allegations may affect the applicable result.
Resisting With Violence
F.S. § 843.01
Knowing and willful resistance by offering or doing violence during lawful execution of a legal duty.
Resisting Police Canine or Police Horse With Violence
F.S. § 843.01(2)
Knowing and willful resistance, obstruction, or opposition by offering or doing violence to a police canine or police horse working with a qualifying officer or legally authorized person.
Elements of the Offense
Elements of the Offense
Elements marked AND are cumulative. Elements marked OR identify statutory alternatives; one applicable alternative must be established when that theory is charged. Conditional elements apply only to the identified statutory track.
- Element 1AND — Required
Officer or authorized-person track — all facts required
For the officer-or-authorized-person track, the defendant knowingly and willfully resisted, obstructed, or opposed an officer or other person legally authorized to execute process.
Plain language: Identify the legally authorized person and the intentional resistance.
- Element 2AND — Required
Officer or authorized-person track — all facts required
The defendant offered or did violence to that person while the person was executing legal process or lawfully performing an official duty.
Plain language: Violence and lawful-duty status distinguish this charge from nonviolent resisting.
- Element 3AND — Required
Police canine or horse track — all facts required
For the police-animal track, the defendant knowingly and willfully resisted, obstructed, or opposed a police canine or police horse by offering or doing violence to the animal.
Jury Instructions
Jury Instructions
Instruction 21.1
Resisting Officer With Violence
Florida Standard Jury Instruction for F.S. § 843.01.
View Official InstructionVerified against the official instruction source: September 13, 2026
Instruction 21.1(a)
Resisting a Police Canine or Police Horse With Violence
Covers the police-canine or police-horse track under F.S. § 843.01(2).
View Official InstructionVerified against the official instruction source: September 13, 2026
Important Definitions
Important Definitions
Police Canine or Police Horse
A canine or horse owned by, or whose service is employed by, a law enforcement or correctional agency principally to aid detection of criminal activity, enforcement of laws, or apprehension of offenders.
Additional Notes
Additional Notes
Important
Record the legal duty or process, the officer's identity and authority, the defendant's conduct, and the specific offer or act of violence.