VA police can make an arrest when:

• A. A rumor from a citizen.
• B. Only after a formal arrest warrant.
• C. Probable cause to believe a crime has been committed.
• D. A complaint from a family member.

Answer: (C)

The central idea is that an arrest hinges on probable cause. Virginia police may arrest someone without a warrant whenever they have probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that the person they're arresting is the one who did it. Probable cause isn’t a guess or a rumor; it’s a reasonable, articulable belief based on facts and circumstances that would convince a reasonable person that a crime is more likely than not to have occurred and that the suspect is responsible.

Relying on a rumor from a citizen or a complaint from a family member by itself doesn’t establish that probable cause exists. A formal arrest warrant is a separate mechanism that authorizes an arrest, but it’s not the only lawful way to arrest—there are many situations where officers can arrest without a warrant when probable cause is present. That’s why the statement about having probable cause to believe a crime has been committed is the correct basis for an arrest in this context.