In both cases, the player has no choice but to give up. An arrest is executed by either knocking or throwing (in the case of vehicular arrests) the player onto the ground and holding him at gunpoint, or by opening the player's car door and holding him at gunpoint. If the police have successfully arrested the player, the message " Busted!" will appear on the player's screen.
If the player has one or more wanted stars, nearby police will give chase and attempt to arrest the player. Committing serious crimes (for example, throwing a grenade into a large crowd of bystanders) often earns the player multiple wanted stars outright. Continuing to commit crimes or resisting arrest will often lead to a second star, and will increase. In GTA III Era games, wanted level is measured on a six-star scale, ranking police lethality from the non-lethal one star to the extremely aggressive, and sometimes lethal, six stars.Ĭommitting several minor crimes in quick succession - such as beating pedestrians up, destroying cars, etc - will earn him one star. As the player's wanted level increases, more powerful forms of law enforcement will pursue him. The Wanted Level in GTA III Era is a measure of how much the player is wanted by the law enforcement of their respective area, and therefore how much force will be used in pursuit of the player. Hostile police officers in GTA Vice City, upon reaching a three-star wanted level.