i own an airbrush shop in a mall, and had a pretty nasty verbal confrontation with a customer last night. apparently this guy was pissed because i refused to stay late and paint a car tag. this nut job completely flipped out...i'm certain it would have gotten physical if there hadn't been a counter between us. to make a long story short, he threatens to come back, and/or give me the beating of my life if he ever sees me in public. i've had many similar confrontations during the 14 years i've been in business, but this is the first time i think the guy may actually be crazy enough to start some shit later on. i've never wanted to put my fist down someone's throat so bad, but i really don't want to deal with the consequences of crippling some jackass who obviously already has mental problems. if i am confronted by this dumbass in the future, just how far should i let it go before i knock his teeth out.....if it looks like a fight is unavoidable what's reasonable justification for throwing the first punch?
The legal system will beat your ass if you throw the first punch...
that's kinda what i figured.
My two cents....Call the police department NON-EMERGENCY line. Tell them what happen and that you think he is on drugs, and you saw a knife on him... This will help make you the victem in the eyes of the law if you do fight him in the future... If you do get in a fight with him be the first to call the cops afterward this usually always makes you the victem and the other guy the bad guy.
dont throw first and dont beat him more than needbe
back down if he gets in ur face and let his ego be happy
be sure there are witnesses. fighting is last resort not only for legal reasons, but for safety as well...lucky punch, weapons etc
You can only use force necessary to stop an attack. It's never legal to "beat someone's ass." If he comes at you and you knock him out with a quick shot, there's no problem. If you unnecessarily beat him up, you're in trouble. How far is too far? That's up the the cops first, then the prosecutor (or the guy's lawyer) and then the jury.
Just whip his ass imo.
i'm all for avoiding a fight if at all possible. my point is, this fucker seems to be crazy enough that if he gets anywhere near close enough to put his hands on me its way too damn close.....especially if am at the mall with the wife and kids for example. i not lookin to beat anyone within an inch of their life either, but if i feel like i have to throw one punch there will definitely be at least one or two more coming directly behind it.
The way things work is that you can always claim a defense to breaking a law in court, but that claim will not be enough to keep you from getting arrested.
The problem is that once you engage in a physical altercation, you broke the law and it is at an officer's discretion to arrest you. Sometimes a cop may let you go if things aren't all that bad, but most of the time, they won't.
Saying that you were "defending yourself" or anything like that is your defense to the crime committed...Once the crime is committed, getting arrested is out of the officer's hands once he is called. Basically, that means that if you commit the crime, you will still have to go through the court system and hope that you come out clean on the other side. Sometimes, things work in your favor, other times, they don't.
If you throw the first punch, you'll definitely get an assault and battery charge which is actually pretty serious in the court's eyes.
it all depends on the state that you live in. i know for a fact in many states you are justified in striking first if you are threatened. I find the best strategy is to call 911 after it happens. i can't stress the importance of calling the cops first. i have been on both sides of the coin. if you call, you get to tell your side first.
thanks for the input so far guys. hopefully nothing will come of this, but i've never had someone spaz out like this guy did. i'll talk it over with one of the cops working the mall and see what i can find out.
Most states you can still be held liable if you did not retreat. Certain states have the Castle Doctrine, and in those states(or at least most of them) you no longer have a duty to retreat first, whether you are at home, at your job, or just walking down the street. Even in states with the Castle Doctrine, you may or may not be allowed to strike first if threatened.
If you are going to do this your way you are in for one heck of legal quagmire.
if it's your business, and there are no cameras/witnesses, beat the fuck out of him and call the cops, tell them the guy wanted to rob you. I've done the exact same shit in the past.
Question is,
1) Is he actually really seriously going to hurt you?
2) or just an argument.
The key to getting away by 'justified use of force' is by 'I did everything to avoid the situation'
or at lest act like it
wade5000 & wrestler 189 are correct. get the origonal event documented in some way. if he comes to you again, RETREAT. make a show of it, back your self into an actual corner or against a wall. If you have backed up to the point that you have nowhere to go, and you truly believe that your physical welfare is in jeporady (or at least that is what you tell the cops) you have some strong legal ground for a defense if it goes that far. not sayin that you won't get arrested, cause you might. but you will most likely be ok in the end. DO NOT go lookin for this fool. DO NOT talk about how much you want to beat him down. just wait and see. sounds like you have a fair bit to lose, so don't act like a kid, but don't be afraid to draw the line either.-MM
you should be on the phone right now making a police report. your at a business and a person threatened you at work. and stated that they would see you on the "streets" and attack you. tell them he threatened to kill you and that the guy seemed crazy.
If you later bump into this guy and he goes after you, not only would he be charged with assault, it would be premeditated. And they already have it on paper that this guy threatened you.
Im almost positive that premeditated assault is a felony. In this case you would be right to defend yourself, and not only that, the guy will see jail time.
Call the police and file a report.
ttt
hell, if you have his name and address you could easily file a restraining order.
use the law for yourself.
Back in highschool, my buddy's family owned a local pharmacy/convenience store. His father got in an argument with some guy who started making all kinds of threats but eventually left.
Fast forward to closing time...
The father is there alone and was standing behind the counter cleaning some stuff within sight of the glass doors which were locked. The guy appears at the door holding a hunting knife making "come on" gestures. Real casually, my friend's father reached under the counter, pulled out a shotgun, set it on top of the counter and then smiled and waved at the guy. He froze, turned around and booked it.
The whole thing was on tape and it was hilarious.