I stabbed a man in self-defense. AMA.

You were charged? Did you beat it? Convicted? Any guilt/remorse?

I was charged with Assault with a deadly weapon with a great bodily injury attachment(second count). I beat the case primarily due to a weak case, a weak DA, and a great public defender. I accepted a deal which saw me guilty to a lesser charge(disturbing the peace), 2 years informal probation, restitution, and some community service. None whatsoever. I firmly believe I did what was right. I defended my friends and myself in what could have been a life threatening situation.

Thanks for the response. I would have felt the exact same way. It's bullshit you even got charged.

Thank you for reading. If I learned anything from all of this its you should never talk to the cops. They arent looking after your best interest, ever. Pleading the fifth on this one would have gotten my case thrown out due to lack of evidence on the first court date.

You're absolutely right. Even my buddies who are cops tell me, never admit to anything, it's only worse for you. I wish more people knew this. Just keep your mouth shut. Thanks for sharing your story. Also, be famous. I'm a 49ers fan, but Santa Clara DA won charge Ahmed Brooks with assault because he's on the niners, yet you're not famous and defending yourself and you get charged.

The politics of the court system is enough to make your head spin. Thank you.

Presumably it's because the police decided to do their job and present him before the court. It's the judge's/magistrate's job to look at the evidence and determine whether it was a justified use of force.

I daresay the assailants would have a different story of the night's events.

Bingo.

Does your username "aUsefulTool" refer to your stabbing knife?

No, I only made the connection when I read your comment.

At what point did you consume your assailant?

I did not eat anyone.

How's your friend?

He had cuts all over his face, 2 black eyes, bloody nose, and bruised ribs. He bounced back in about a week.

That's good :)

Thanks. Interesting side note: I was living with him and his gf at the time. After it all happened she told me she didnt feel safe around me anymore...

Why not? It was all in self defense and if you didn't, you all could of been screwed

Exactly. She went from being one of my best friends to someone I dont talk to anymore.

Wow, now that's just sad.

This whole thing taught me to value my life, my family and my real friends. I started writing people who weren't making me a better person right after getting out of jail.

That blows. Sorry dude.

Edit: Thanks for the nearly 100 upvotes. Couldn't imagine why my post karma went up so fast....

Double Edit, Thank you for the 112 upvotes, and 100 points.

Don't be sorry. I saw a lot of peoples true colors after this. I've been much happier with the close group of friends I have now.

If it was just self defence, why did you have to accept any charge at all?

Did the guy you stabbed survive?

Because I was charged. I admitted to the crime. It had to get dealt with in court. It didnt help that the DA was stubborn as hell. My defender says any other DA would have recognized how weak the case was and dropped it. He survived after some surgery and a week in the hospital.

After you gutted him... Did you drop a sweet catch phrase?

I did not, but I would be lying if I said I didnt feel quite Gangsta after it happened.

Which state? I wonder if it would have been less trouble to shoot the attacker. ಠ_ಠ

California.

Did you just stab him once?. What does it feel like to stab someone?.

Yes, only once. I couldnt tell you. Adrenaline spawned out of fear of survival is different than any other type of adrenaline. It was over before I even realized it happened.

Interesting. Did you ever stab a man in Reno just to watch him die?.

hehe..

It's currently two minutes to midnight. Do you think I should go buy some beer and start drinking, or wait till tomorrow and start earlier?

Time, in my opinion, has the least relevancy when it comes to drinking.

You can drink in a time beyond time.

Pliny the Elder?

What was the outcome?

I ended up being the only one arrested. Spent the night in jail til my parents bailed me out. A LOT of court after that...

How old were you?

24 at the time, 25 now.

Did the guys who beat up your friend face any charges? Like assault?

None at all. I was mad about this at first, But let it go when I came to terms with everything.

How much $$ did this cost you , all the legal BS

Bail was $40,000, payed $4,000. If you take into account the days missed at work due to the various court dates and misc. expenses(driving, documents, food, etc) I would say about $5,000. The victim may also seek restitution, which would make that figure a lot higher.

He's not a victim he's an assailant. Any court that would pursue that needs to be disbanded.

The DA was a stubborn fool. My public defender made her look like a child at the pretrial. The witnesses she used all confirmed my story and were later subpoenaed by MY lawyer to testify for our side...

Also are you/should you be worried about any kind of retribution from these clowns? I mean the thing started over them looking for revenge for a supposed mugging.

At first I was because we learned from my defender that they were a gangsterish car club known to be affiliated with Surenos. Im not a gang banger but I know their type. Also, one of them lived on the same street as I did at that time. I moved out soon after.

Where did you stab him?

A few inches left from his belly button, from what I could tell from the court photos.

do you feel bad for the guy ?

Not at all. He's a scumbag. His blood came back positive for cocaine, marijuana, and his blood alcohol level that night was through the roof.

I like this. I always wonder what would happen if I were in this situation. I always carry a small knife with me. Its more of a tool to me than a weapon...

Yes! Look up EDC(Every Day Carry) for more info and tips. I started carrying a knife to make day to day tasks easier. Never imagined it would help me fight off a gang up.

How many people were with you?

The night started with a group of about 6-7. After the birthday boy had too many drinks, he was taken home. Afterwards, my best friend, his brother, and I headed to a the bar where the fight would take place.

Would you have changed any of your actions in hindsight, aside from not admitting anything to the police? e.g. used the knife as a threat only

In hindsight yes, I should have left the knife in my car or at home. Not because of what happened but rather because of how expensive the whole ordeal turned out to be.

Unfortunately you might be dead if you had done that... Beatings aren't scientific, one wrong punch or kick and you're stone dead. Make that a group beating and your friend is lucky you were there to distract them, and to have survived.

I try not to think of alternate outcomes. The way it turned out was nightmarish enough. The important thing is that we ended up ok and that justice was served...sort of.

[deleted]

7-8 months as well. The only thing my defender informed me of was that it lasted 2 years and that i didnt have to report to a PO or the court.

did you regret stabbing him? not because of what followed, i mean if you found yourself in a similar situation would you do the same thing again?

Regret comes from the debt that came with the whole thing. Stab someone to defend my life and that of my friends? I'll do that all day.

Are you free right now, as in not under house arrest or something? Seems like it would be pretty hard to get off the hook for stabbing someone, self defense or not.

Yes, I am free. The DA had a very poor case against me. The only incriminating part was my statement. No one present saw me do it, the "victim", included.

Let's say you we're liscenced for a concealed firearm and you used that instead of the pocket knife. How do you imagine the case being different than that of the knife as the weapon used?

Assuming the injury the 'victim sustained were equivalent, I would say the same. Carrying a knife in a legal matter is the same as carrying a firearm legally. Had the injuries been more severe, I'd probably still be in jail...

Did you enjoy it?

It was too fast for me to know how I felt. I remember reaching for my knife, then it skips forward to putting it back in my pocket.

How old were you when this happened?

Also were you carrying the knife as a daily thing 'just in case' for self defence like this scenario or rather for your job or as a tool?

I was 24, 25 now. Definitely more as a tool, more specifically, My EDC kit.

Why were you charged when it was obvious you stabbed the guy in self-defense? Did your other friends testify? How did it all go down?

I was charged because I confessed to doing it. Confessing meant that I would go before a judge at some point and tell my side of the story and hope they ruled in my favor. My friends would have testified if the DA hadn't offered me a deal keeping me out of jail before the mail trial with a jury, thus ending the case.

What was your sentence? Also, what was going through your mind after you stabbed your attacker?

I was sentenced to 2 years probation and 30 days in jail(serving on a work program). right before I was thinking I needed to get to my friend. I cant remember the actual stabbing motion. Afterwards, I kept thinking I needed to leave the scene.

This is interesting. I never carry anything on me that can be used as a weapon aside from car keys, so my question is -

Did you ever think that you were the type of person to just pull a knife and stab someone like that? Even in self defense, that's a heavy thing to do.

Ive always considered myself a patient, relaxed person. I am more likely to help than to hurt. In the moment of truth, its not so much about what kind of person you are. You're not acting under normal circumstances. I didn't think I had it in me, but my instinct to survive and save my friends says otherwise. Never say never...