Which of the following best describes robbery?

• A. Taking property from a person with permission and leaving
• B. Stealing from an unlocked store after hours without force
• C. Receiving stolen property
• D. Taking property from a person using force or threat of force

Answer: (D)

Robbery happens when someone takes property directly from another person and uses force or a threat of force to do it. The defining elements are the direct taking from the victim and the presence of force or fear of immediate harm. That’s why this description fits: the property is taken from a person, and there is either physical force or a threat designed to compel the victim to surrender it.

The other situations aren’t robbery because they lack one of those elements. Taking something with the victim’s permission isn’t robbery, since there’s consent and no force. Stealing from an unlocked store after hours without any confrontation isn’t robbery either—it's theft, since there’s no taking from a person or threat to a person. Receiving stolen property is a related offense involving possession of stolen goods, not the act of taking from a person with force or threat.