Which term describes theft involving a weapon classified as a violent crime?

• A. Criminal Offense
• B. Armed Robbery
• C. Probable Cause
• D. Investigative Detention

Answer: (B)

Armed robbery is the term for theft that involves a weapon or the threat of a weapon, making it a violent crime. The weapon elevates the act from simple theft to a crime that endangers people, because the use or intimidation with a weapon targets a person’s safety. This distinguishes it from a broad criminal offense, which covers many kinds of illegal acts without specifying the violent aspect; probable cause is a legal standard used to justify actions like arrests, not a type of crime; and investigative detention is a police action, not a crime classification. So when theft is committed with a weapon, it is described as armed robbery.