03 Jul 3 reasons to defend yourself after a bar fight
You were minding your own business at the bar when you saw a young woman being harassed. The person harassing her was clearly intoxicated, so you stepped in to help. Not long after that, you found yourself in a full-out brawl.
In your situation, you were just doing what you thought was right, but when the police came, you found yourself arrested for assault. There are a few reasons you need to defend yourself right now.
1. You were fighting in self-defense
The first reason you should defend yourself against these charges is because you fought in self-defense. When you tried to break up the situation, the man attacked you. You responded in kind, but you were not the person to start the bar fight.
2. You felt you had no other choices
If you attempted to walk the woman away from the harasser and were attacked, you may have felt you had no other choice but to protect her and yourself. Someone with more time might have called the police or tried to escape, but with no escape route and an immediate attack to deal with, you did the best you could.
3. You did not use unreasonable force
If you had gone out of your way to settle the incident with a use of excessive force, it might look bad to the court. However, since you fought back with the same force that you were attacked with, there’s no reason that anyone should assume you were out to injure the attacker. On top of that, the prosecution won’t be able to say that you intended to cause harm or to kill the other person, which is something he could otherwise have accused you of wanting to do.
Everyone’s situation is different, and that’s why it’s up to you to show why you did what was right and shouldn’t face charges.