Needing Advice

[morning glory]

What is the name of your state?I live in Montgomery County, PA! Last night my boyfriend and I met friends of ours for drinks (one of them is disabled).... After two beers the bartender announced "last call, I am closing at 12:15" my boyfriend then said to us "ten minutes to finish our beers". With that the bartender came to our table and asked my boyfriend "Are you being a wiseass?" We all responded no, obviously confused at the bartenders anger. We then left the bar...as we walked outside, he came out behind us (pushing my disabled friend down two steps) he proceeded to physically attack my boyfriend. I yelled for help and a neighbor called police. When the police arrived they said we could not file assault charges, and sited us all with disorderly conduct. We were also told by police that if we filed assault charges we would all be arrested.I found out the bartender was on parole, and he was arrested for warrants, not assault. I am confused over his attack, but also by the way the police treated us. We were not intoxicated nor charged with intoxication. P.S. The owner of the establishment watched the entire incident. Any help is greatly appreciated!Do we have the right to file charges?

 

[CdwJava]

Well, you can make the assault and battery report, but there is no requirement that it be prosecuted. And given the circumstances at the scene, my guess is that for some reason, it wouldn't be.

But, you can go to the station and make the report - and even complain that the officers at the scene did not do an adequate job or treat you with the proper respect. But it would still not guarantee that the case goes anywhere.

There is almost certainly some other circumstances that were present that made the officers a little hostile. Could someone in your party have been a little mouthy or over talkative?

On the other hand, most bar fights are almost impossible to prosecute as the stories vary so widely and witnesses tend to be in one of three categories: (1) I saw nothing - and that's the story I'm sticking to, (2) I support Party A, and (3) I support party B. We rarely find a truly independent witness.

Carl

 

[morning glory]

Thanks fo advice

Thanks for the timely response! Seeing my issue from another perspective...I can understand why a "bar" fight is a sticky situation. My objection is, there was no "fight", my boyfriend was attacked! If I were in law enforcement, I would not want to handle this type of situation, for the obvious reasons you've stated. We told the truth, exactly as it happened, and the bartender basically got away with physical assault. I can't help but wonder, if pursuing this is a waste of time and energy! Thanks again!