Nashville, TN asked in Criminal Law for Tennessee

Q: Will a simple assault charge hold in court if the individual i “assaulted” participated in jumping me days prior?

I am 18 years old, I attend Douglass High School & I was jumped by a group of unknown individuals outside of my school for no known reason, my mother contacted the school to let it be known but the principal was on vacation so nothing was done about it, The following Monday I returned to school & seen one of the people that i was jumped by and he attempted to provoke me by smirking and saying “We’re gonna beat your a** again” I ignored his remarks the first time but after the bell rang for classes to switch we seen each other again and he jumped at me so i struck him with my fist and he fell to the ground. I was pulled into the office and the officer told me that i was under arrest because i am 18 but minutes later he changed his mind and instead I received a misdemeanor citation in lieu of continued custody of arrested person, i have court tomorrow and I would like to know what i have to do to drop the charges.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Bennett James Wills
Bennett James Wills
Answered
  • Brentwood, TN
  • Licensed in Tennessee

A: You should hire counsel asap. You may have a self-defense defense. But I wouldn't expect the state to just drop the charge.

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