People v. Christensen

The defendant-appellant, Tony R. Christensen, hereafter the defendant, appeals from a McHenry County jury’s verdict finding him guilty of obstructing a peace officer in violation of section 31 — 1 of the Criminal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1975, ch. 38, par. 31 — 1). The sole issue raised by the defendant on appeal is whether it was error for the trial court to fail to instruct the jury that the State had the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not justified in using force to defend himself or another against excessive force employed by a police officer in effecting…