How Self-defense Claims Can Work in Your Favor

Across the United States, over 1.2 million violent crimes took place in 2017. Nationwide, there was a decrease of .2% from the previous year.

Violent crimes can involve several different acts, but the most common were aggravated assaults. Aggravated assaults made up around 65% of all violent crimes that were reported to the police or authorities in 2017. Aggravated assaults include assaults with a deadly weapon. They are also likely to be upgraded from a basic assault if the defendant was accused of planning or intending to harm another person.

Violent crimes happen less often than in the past, but they’re still a problem today. One of the most common defenses for these actions is the self-defense claim. In many situations, those accused of assaulting others are only doing what they can to protect themselves or their loved ones, so a self-defense claim can be worth making.

What happens if you claim you were defending yourself?

As a defendant, you don’t have to say or do anything that would hurt your case. However, if you have proof that you were defending yourself against the person who is accusing you of harming them, then you may want to present it to the court.

For example, you may have a video of yourself coming into contact with the other person as a result of them approaching you, which would show that you did not initiate the situation and that the following aggression was a result of trying to defend yourself.

No two cases are alike, so it’s a good choice to speak with your attorney about the specifics of your case before speaking to the police or going to court.

 

See our violent crimes service page to get help now.

Have you been involved in a violent crime? Contact Levine Law.

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