Some people truly are out looking for a fight. Having a run-in with one of them can turn a fun night out into a disaster. Even if you made a good effort to defuse the situation before it escalated into violence, you might still have found yourself caught up in a bar brawl you had no desire to be in. If there were numerous people involved in the brawl, you may not even know what started the fight. While you may have tried to avoid getting in a fight, there is still a chance you could be arrested and charged with assault or battery. An experienced Joliet, IL criminal defense lawyer can help you fight back against unfair charges.
Possible Defenses After Being Arrested for Fighting
If you did not throw the first punch or otherwise start the violence, you may have a good argument for self-defense. If you were attacked first and reasonably believed that you needed to use force to protect yourself or someone else, you had the legal right to do so. However, you cannot prevail on a self-defense claim if you used excessive force beyond what was necessary to stop your opponent from hurting you.