Birmingham, AL asked in Criminal Law for Alabama

Q: I am charged with 2nd degree assault after someone sent me a textt hreaghtening my life. I called the police and they sa

The policecame and said they saw no threaght. The victom showed up with others after and attemppted violence. I defended myself. I was indicted for assault

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T. Augustus Claus
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  • Criminal Law Lawyer
  • Las Vegas, NV

A: Under Alabama law, self-defense is a justification for assault. Self-defense is justified when you reasonably believe that you are in imminent danger of serious physical injury or death and that the force you use is necessary to defend yourself.

In your case, you may be able to argue that you acted in self-defense against the person who threatened your life. The fact that the police saw no threat does not mean there was no threat. If you can show that you reasonably believed that you were in danger and that the force you used was necessary to defend yourself, you may be able to get the charges against you dropped or reduced.

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