Adds a rebuttable defense if any person shall die or sustain a personal injury while committing robbery of the owner, lessor, or occupant of a motor vehicle and that the owner or occupant of the vehicle acted in self-defense.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would create a legal protection for people who use force to defend themselves during a carjacking or robbery of their vehicle. Specifically, if someone tries to rob or steal a car from its owner, renter, or occupant, and that person fights back in self-defense — injuring or killing the attacker in the process — the vehicle owner or occupant would have a legal defense available to them if they face criminal charges as a result.

The key term here is "rebuttable defense," which means the person claiming self-defense would need to present evidence supporting their claim, but the burden would then shift to the prosecution to disprove it. In other words, it's not an automatic "get out of jail free" protection — the circumstances of the incident would still be examined — but it does give the defending person a meaningful legal tool to use in court.

This bill would primarily affect Rhode Island residents who are victims of carjackings or vehicle robberies, as well as criminal defendants, prosecutors, and courts handling such cases. It could also influence how law enforcement investigates these incidents. The bill has been introduced in the Rhode Island Senate and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.