If you find yourself facing criminal assault charges, you may believe that you did not violate the law. This can be true even if you were genuinely involved in a physical altercation with someone else. That doesn’t necessarily mean you committed assault or battery, and it’s very important to understand what legal defenses you have.
The specific defense you use will depend on the details of your unique case. But below are a few examples to consider.
Mistaken identity
First and foremost, you may claim that you weren’t involved at all. Perhaps there was a crowd of people and a fight started. The police were called and arrested a handful of individuals. But you claim you were just in the crowd watching, and you never assaulted anyone.
Self-defense
One of the most common options is to claim that it was just self-defense because you faced a threat of harm, and the other person was the aggressor. It was their provocation that led to the physical altercation. If you genuinely believed that you were in danger, you are fully within your rights to use self-defense to protect yourself.
Defense of others or property
Similarly, you can sometimes act in defense of other people, such as family members or companions, or of your property itself. For example, maybe you were out getting a drink with your significant other when someone else threatened them and pushed them. Even though you weren’t directly threatened, you can still claim self-defense if you acted on their behalf.
These are just a few examples, but you can see why it’s so important to understand all the legal defense options you have when facing such serious charges.
