There&#x27;s nothing in the article to say that the residents were arrested. An arrest is the threshold for controlling someone&#x27;s legitimate actions: if the police don&#x27;t have enough evidence to arrest the person, then they shouldn&#x27;t be limiting their movements. That is the whole <i>point</i> of arrest (and the related burden of proof required to make an arrest).<p>To restrict someone&#x27;s actions without legal authority - such as arresting them - is illegal.