Assault

Serenity Now. Goosefraba.

January 26, 2011 Assault

Your client enters into a deferred sentencing agreement (DSA) after being charged with simple assault. According to the terms of the agreement, he must first plead guilty to punching another commuter on the metro. He then has 9 months to complete a set of agreed-upon conditions, including 40 hours of community service and therapy for [...]

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“Why Would You Do This To A Girl?”

January 3, 2011 Assault

It has to be the random acts of violence – unexpected and without justification — that shock the most.  Routine police work is followed by a spasm of violence that changes two peoples’ lives. According to Injustice Everywhere, 23-year-old Whitney Fox called 911 after the car she was driving hit a retaining wall on a [...]

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Extortion in D.C. and Virginia: An Endangered Criminal Offense?

November 16, 2010 Assault

Extortion is one of my favorite crimes, a fact which, I have to admit, is usually not much consolation to the person who gets me on the phone worried that he/she may be charged with it.  At the same time, however interesting the offense may be, you rarely come across it in practice. A former [...]

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Public Defender Could Face Criminal Charges After Threatening Prosecutor

October 23, 2010 Assault

At the public defender’s office where I used to work, an organization with 250-300 lawyers, we had at least one or two burnouts every year. Some of the burnouts were public, with a defender breaking down in open court and ending his/her career with a bang. In other cases, the defender left quietly, perhaps waiting [...]

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Aggravated Assault and DUI Charged in Adams Morgan Crash

September 9, 2010 Assault

The woman who ran into two pedestrians before her car crashed into an Adams Morgan restaurant last night has, according to the Washington Post, been charged with aggravated assault as well as driving under the influence. Both pedestrians hit by the car are still hospitalized, one in serious condition and the other in critical condition. [...]

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D.C.’s Criminal Gang Statute To Be Tested

September 3, 2010 Assault

Trial begins today in D.C. Superior Court on a case that will test D.C.’s new criminal gang statute.  According to the Washington Post, five men who are allegedly members of the Todd Place crew are charged with killing a member of a rival group called the T Street gang.  In addition to first-degree murder, assault, [...]

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When The Complaining Witness Refuses To Testify In A Domestic Violence Case

August 11, 2010 Assault

A couple of weeks ago, I described a number of myths about the U.S. criminal justice system. One popular misconception I did not address was the question of who actually prosecutes a criminal case. You often hear people say that they don’t want to press charges. What they don’t understand is that, unlike in a [...]

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Simple Assault and Disorderly Conduct Charged in D.C. Metro Fracas

August 9, 2010 Assault

While the D.C. Metro has traditionally been one of the cleanest and safest subway systems in the country, two incidents this summer have, according to the Washington Post, led D.C. officials to consider extra safety measures.  A 16-year-old boy was knocked unconscious in June by a group of people fighting over his Air Jordan shoes.  [...]

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Spoof on “Bubbles Cop”

July 17, 2010 Assault

A couple of days ago, I posted a YouTube of a Toronto police officer arresting a demonstrator for blowing bubbles in his general direction.  “If a bubble touches me,” the officer warns the demonstrator, “you are going to be arrested for assault.” The video has apparently received a lot of attention on the Internet, and [...]

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Toronto Woman Arrested for Assaulting Police Officer With Bubbles

July 13, 2010 Assault

With thanks to Jonathan Turley of the Res Ipsa Loquitur Blog, here is a video of a Toronto woman apparently being arrested for assaulting a police officer with bubbles. If this had happened in Philadelphia (at least under the old regime), the woman would also have been charged with disorderly conduct, failure to disperse, and [...]

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