Sorry for the delay, I finished my 02E (PI) this evening and passed. The school is very good but I ask a lot of questions so I drive my instructor nuts at times
I won't do anything until I am licensed in VA, and even then I won't work alone. There is always someone bigger and badder than you. Go with a partner, never go alone. People go alone all the time, but it's a big risk safety and liability wise but they only see the money.
The scenerio you describe is the worse case in my personal opinion. The two partners need to know the fugitive's history and determine who is contact and who is cover. First try the polite professional approach. If that doesn't work, then identify yourself and give vocal commands loudly for witness's in the area to hear clearly, i.e. "Hands, let me see your hands". Those are the first things you want to see. Watch how they move their hands and how their elbow moves if they move them. The school should show you or explain this to you. A simple posture difference can be the difference from raising their hand to drawing a weapon.
If they refuse and sit there arms crossed, the contact person then attempts to take into custody. If subject gets violent (without weapons) and if you are OC Certified, you can spray. You can not use baton unless the level of violence has been risen by the fugitive and you need to be baton certified; if you use it, you need to make sure its only on green areas and afterwards you need to follow the 3, C's. Control, Custody, Care. If you strike with the baton (vs. block), you need to take the person to the hospital so make sure you know where the hospitals are! VA has 4 levels of violence. You can not use brandish, draw, or use a firearm to intimidate a fugitve in VA. It was pounded in my head - AOJP (Ability, Opportunity, Jepardy, Preclusion). You can not draw your firearm unless their is an edged weapon or a firearm by the fugitve is seen or pulled. In other words, if fugitive pulls a bat, you can NOT draw your firearm. A bat is not an edged weapon. Even then, you need to be prepared to retreat.
Do not fire your weapon unless you have no place to retreat and there is absolutely no other way to defend yourself in VA. It's better to wait for the person and attempt to get them standing out in the open, pressure points and stances will work to your advantages that you can't get on the couch or on the ground. The school I attended did NOT teach taser, so I am going to check with DSI and ask him if he teaches that and ask about the liability with them. Make sure you have a good partner(s). You screw up - you might be asking your bondsman to bond you out!
If I am wrong in any statement above, a senior poster will probably correct me and it's better to listen to them, they have been doing this for a living and they know better. All I have done is learned what is required in school, I have zero actual experience yet. Probably can't start until End of May.