A simple lesson on instigating a physical confrontation

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You are walking your dog down the sidewalk in your neighborhood at midnight. You see a guy that looks out of place, maybe he's lost or maybe he's even suspicious. You walk up to the guy and he turns and punches you right in the nose and jumps on top of you and continues to punch you in the face.

If the cops come...who would get arrested? Who started and instigated the physical confrontation?

Case closed.
 

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You are walking your dog down the sidewalk in your neighborhood at midnight. You see a guy that looks out of place, maybe he's lost or maybe he's even suspicious. You walk up to the guy and he turns and punches you right in the nose and jumps on top of you and continues to punch you in the face.

If the cops come...who would get arrested? Who started and instigated the physical confrontation?

Case closed.
Well, your dog should have been a bigger help.
 

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You are walking your dog down the sidewalk in your neighborhood at midnight. You see a guy that looks out of place, maybe he's lost or maybe he's even suspicious. You walk up to the guy and he turns and punches you right in the nose and jumps on top of you and continues to punch you in the face.

If the cops come...who would get arrested? Who started and instigated the physical confrontation?

Case closed.

Theres no law against walking up to somebody or calling them a name or whatever...Whoever makes the first physical contact would be at fault...Usually starts with a shove..
 

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Theres no law against walking up to somebody or calling them a name or whatever...Whoever makes the first physical contact would be at fault...Usually starts with a shove..

Well, you can't walk up to someone and menace them, as that is a crime (without any "physical contact"). And under those circumstances, a physical response by the menaced person may result in a lesser, yet still illegal, charge.
 
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Well, you can't walk up to someone and menace them, as that is a crime (without any "physical contact"). And under those circumstances, a physical response by the menaced person may result in a lesser, yet still illegal, charge.

What do you mean menace him?....I doubt Zimmerman pulled the gun & pointed it at him right off the bat to provoke a fight & Martin was probably smart enough not to go after Zimmerman had he known he had a gun on him..
 

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What do you mean menace him?....I doubt Zimmerman pulled the gun & pointed it at him right off the bat to provoke a fight & Martin was probably smart enough not to go after Zimmerman had he known he had a gun on him..

I wasn't referring to the Trayvon case, but just making a general point. You can't walk up to someone and say, "I'm going to kill you," because that is a crime itself. You said the first person to resort to "physical contact" would be at fault, which is not necessarily true.
 
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I wasn't referring to the Trayvon case, but just making a general point. You can't walk up to someone and say, "I'm going to kill you," because that is a crime itself. You said the first person to resort to "physical contact" would be at fault, which is not necessarily true.

Its true even in that case..Until they actually come at you only then do you have the right to physically defend yourself..
 

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Its true even in that case..Until they actually come at you only then do you have the right to physically defend yourself..

Well, you said there is no law against walking up to someone and calling them a name or whatever. . . But if "whatever" is a threat, there IS a law.
 
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Well, you said there is no law against walking up to someone and calling them a name or whatever. . . But if "whatever" is a threat, there IS a law.

Yeah its called harrasment or menacing...Then youd call the cops if you could & not take the law into your own hands if they made no physical contact....
 

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By Jorge Rivas
March 26, 2012

The Orlando Sentinel on Monday morning published the most detailed report to date of what authorities say happened one month ago today when George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin.

According to Sanford Police, Zimmerman was on foot looking for Martin when he was approached by Martin. After the pair exchanged words, authorities say Martin threw the first punch, which is what is now protecting Zimmerman from being arrested.

Police have been reluctant to provide details about their evidence which they say witnesses are corroborating with but this is what they’ve disclosed to the Sentinel so far:
Zimmerman was on his way to the grocery store when he spotted Trayvon walking through his gated community.
Trayvon was visiting his father’s fiancée, who lived there. He had been suspended from school in Miami after being found with an empty marijuana baggie. Miami schools have a zero-tolerance policy for drug possession.
Zimmerman called police and reported a suspicious person, describing Trayvon as black, acting strangely and perhaps on drugs.
Zimmerman got out of his SUV to follow Trayvon on foot. When a dispatch employee asked Zimmerman if he was following the 17-year-old, Zimmerman said yes. The dispatcher told Zimmerman he did not need to do that.
There is about a one-minute gap during which police say they’re not sure what happened.
Zimmerman told them he lost sight of Trayvon and was walking back to his SUV when Trayvon approached him from the left rear, and they exchanged words.
Trayvon asked Zimmerman if he had a problem. Zimmerman said no and reached for his cell phone, he told police.
Trayvon then said, “Well, you do now” or something similar and punched Zimmerman in the nose.
Zimmerman fell to the ground and Trayvon got on top of him and began slamming his head into the sidewalk, he told police.
Zimmerman began yelling for help.
According to authorities Zimmerman then shot Martin at a really close range.

It’s unclear who was yelling for help. There are witnesses who say it was Martin who was screaming for help. Lawyers for Trayvon Martin’s family also say it was Martin screaming for help.

Both men were of similar stature. Martin, 17, was about 6-foot-3 and 150 pounds while Zimmerman, 28, is 5-foot-9 and weighs well over 200 pounds, according to ABC News.

http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/police_zimmerman_says_trayvon_knocked_him_down_slammed_his_head_into_sidewalk.html
 

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