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Assault charge -- interesting spot

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DUCY

Junior Member
This is in Arizona.

A few weeks ago I was involved in an altercation with a man who yelled obscenities at me at a drive-through. I got out of my car and exchanged words with him, then returned to my car and considered the event over. However, as I was about to place my order the man spit on me. I got out of my car and walked towards his and he was wielding a large glass bottle. I punched him in the face and he spit on me again, this time in my face so I elected to punch him in the face again. He attempted to back up and when he did his mirror hit me in the arm. I was pretty riled up at the time and as soon as it hit me I reacted by striking it and knocking the mirror out of the housing. I managed to get my food but he followed me home and had called his brother to my house, presumably to jump me. My father was home at the time and so nothing became of it. Apparently the person behind us in the drive through pulled up when the man spit on me the first time, because he called police and said he simply saw me throwing punches and I believe because of this witness I was viewed as the aggressor.

Anyway, the man elected to press charges against me (I did not press charges against him for the spitting incidents because I didn't think of it til after the police left my house) and I have a court date coming up soon. I don't have a lawyer because I'm not sure why I need one. I'm 21 and have never had so much as a traffic ticket, and I see no need to plead not guilty to the charges. According to a family friend who is a police officer I'm likely to have to pay restitution for the mirror and possibly do community service or anger management.

Am I thinking about this the wrong way? Anything I should be aware of? I've never been to a courtroom before, is this going to take a long time? I'm missing work because of this.
 


Antigone*

Senior Member
This is in Arizona.

A few weeks ago I was involved in an altercation with a man who yelled obscenities at me at a drive-through. I got out of my car and exchanged words with him, then returned to my car and considered the event over. However, as I was about to place my order the man spit on me. I got out of my car and walked towards his and he was wielding a large glass bottle. I punched him in the face and he spit on me again, this time in my face so I elected to punch him in the face again. He attempted to back up and when he did his mirror hit me in the arm. I was pretty riled up at the time and as soon as it hit me I reacted by striking it and knocking the mirror out of the housing. I managed to get my food but he followed me home and had called his brother to my house, presumably to jump me. My father was home at the time and so nothing became of it. Apparently the person behind us in the drive through pulled up when the man spit on me the first time, because he called police and said he simply saw me throwing punches and I believe because of this witness I was viewed as the aggressor.

Anyway, the man elected to press charges against me (I did not press charges against him for the spitting incidents because I didn't think of it til after the police left my house) and I have a court date coming up soon. I don't have a lawyer because I'm not sure why I need one. I'm 21 and have never had so much as a traffic ticket, and I see no need to plead not guilty to the charges. According to a family friend who is a police officer I'm likely to have to pay restitution for the mirror and possibly do community service or anger management.

Am I thinking about this the wrong way? Anything I should be aware of? I've never been to a courtroom before, is this going to take a long time? I'm missing work because of this.
It will take all darn day. I got a peek at the crystal ball and it said you'd be the last loser in the courtroom :rolleyes:
 

DUCY

Junior Member
Cool story. Are all of your ~8300 posts bursting at the seams with content like this one?
 

Antigone*

Senior Member
Cool story. Are all of your ~8300 posts bursting at the seams with content like this one?
I gave a direct answer to question #3.:cool:

Since you're arrogant enough to believe you don't need , attorney, what more do you want:rolleyes:

You flat out assaulted a man - get representation. The least of your worries should be how long you're going to have to be in court.
 
Last edited:

justalayman

Senior Member
Since you didn't like antigone's response, how about these:



Am I thinking about this the wrong way?
that is a personal opinion but if you want mine: yes

Anything I should be aware of?
yes

I've never been to a courtroom before, is this going to take a long time?
Relative to the time it takes a photon to circumnavigate the Earth, yes and even more so if you created a vacuum for the photon to travel within. Relative to the 1/2 life of plutonium; hardly even measurable.

I'm missing work because of this.
that can happen when you do stupid things.
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
I will add that without someone seeing his actions and without you actually thinking to TELL THE COP WHEN HE WAS ARRESTING YOU what caused the fight, you have no chance of anyone believing this story when you try to bring it up in court.

You see, without evidence, you cannot say, "he did this" and have it believed.
 

DUCY

Junior Member
I was not arrested. When the police officer questioned me about the incident I informed him that the man had spit on me twice.
 

DUCY

Junior Member
I gave a direct answer to question #3.:cool:

Since you're arrogant enough to believe you don't need , attorney, what more do you want:rolleyes:

You flat out assaulted a man - get representation. The least of your worries should be how long you're going to have to be in court.
It has nothing to do with arrogance. I simply can't see why I would need representation when the probability of the case ending in my favor is so low -- attorney fees would further decrease my expected value in an already negative EV situation. If I were arrogant I would have never asked in the first place.
 
Well, maybe your best possision will be to just await your chance to speak in court and just tell the truth of what happened when your turn comes up.
 

cyjeff

Senior Member
I was not arrested. When the police officer questioned me about the incident I informed him that the man had spit on me twice.
You do realize that people have been arrested for assault for spitting on someone, right?

this means there was either no proof or you are lying. Which is it?
 

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