How did I end up in handcuffs?

I am unclear on exactly what has to happen for a guard to subdue me and place me in handcuffs. Entire SWAT teams with heavy armor, riot shields, tasers, gas, and large automatic weapons can have me surrounded, but I'm free to run around and shoot them at will. At least, until they fill me full of so many holes that I have no choice but to fall down and bleed for a while.

But sometimes a lone bank guard will see me and suddenly I'm in cuffs. How is this happening?

Solution 1:

If you allow yourself to get into a position where a guard is not engaging you but is within melee range, he will occasionally try to slap some handcuffs onto you. This can happen if you pick a door that has a guard standing on the other side for example on Framing Frame Day 1 at the art gallery with the door leading into the toilets or from getting too close to a law enforcer for a period of time during combat.