What causes a bar fight?

It is important to remember that although people involved in the fist-fight may feel justified, police or security guards may not see things the same way. Although bar fights are a relatively common occurrence, they can almost always be avoided. Below are some of the most common reasons that a fight will break out where alcohol is served.

1. Alcohol will lower our ability to manage our emotions. In an article provided by Live Science, people who regularly suppress their anger are more likely to fight when drunk. Perhaps you have seen someone who can be referred to as an “angry drunk.” As the article leads us to conclude, people are more likely to take out bottled aggression when they consume alcohol. Things that would not upset a person under normal circumstances can become a trigger that leads to fighting.
2. Men are likely to fight in bars to impress other men. This is especially the case when a woman or significant other is involved. People tend to get protective of their partner in a bar, club, or lounge and can retaliate if they feel a line was crossed. Perhaps someone appeared to be flirting or hitting on someone’s partner. Hundreds of bar fights a year happen in Utah over someone punching or pushing another because they felt threatened by another person’s actions.
3. Poor sportsmanship or sore loosing after a friendly game turns serious. One of the leading causes of a bar fight happens when people get competitive with one another. Many Salt Lake City bars have things like pool tables, darts, beer pong, and even air hockey designed to entertain guests as they drink. Perhaps a friendly game takes a wrong turn when a person has a hard time losing. They can also happen if money was placed on the game as a bet, or another person taunts or makes fun of someone for losing a game or contest.

Are there going to be legal consequences?

Now that we have looked at common reasons that bar fights happen, let’s take a look at the legal ramifications that can occur.

Disturbing the Peace or Disorderly Conduct. These charges are a misdemeanor offense that can carry both fines and possible jail times. Fines can range from $300 to $700 or more. Jail time can include up to 90 days in jail, depending on previous criminal convictions and the circumstances’ details and seriousness.

An Assault Charge. Many people that have been involved in a bar fight can find themselves charged with a misdemeanor assault charge. As you can probably assume, the punishments for these crimes are harsher than only disturbing the peace. People can face fines of up to $1000 and up to 6 months in county jail. These charges can and will increase if a deadly weapon was involved and the general circumstances of the fight.

Battery and Felony Charges. Physically charging damage to another person can lead to a felony charge, especially if a significant amount of bodily harm was done. For example, if one person had to be hospitalized due to injuries sustained from the fight.

How can I defend myself?

Experienced Salt Lake City defense attorneys may be able to look at your case and help establish justifiable reasons to help protect those accused’s rights. Unfortunately, alcohol is involved is not a good defense. Perhaps, however, the fight resulted from one person defending themselves or another person from real or perceived physical harm. If you have been charged or arrested due to a bar fight in Utah, call The Ault Firm today at 801-987-8409 to speak with a legal professional about your options.

What constitutes simple assault in Utah?

Assault covers a much more comprehensive range of activities than simply causing violence against someone. Below are some examples of things that can be considered assault in Utah.

• An attempt to create physical injury to another.
• To intentionally, intentionally, or recklessly cause bodily injury to another.
• To negligently trigger bodily injury to another with a dangerous tool.
• An attempt by “physical threat” to put an additional in worry of brewing severe bodily injury.
• To conceal or attempt to hide a hypodermic needle to stab a law police officer or improvements police officer.

Considering the variety of conduct that falls under assault, it is easy to understand why individuals are often unpleasantly amazed to discover they are being charged with assault. For example, someone can be charged with assault and battery even if the other person did not suffer physical damage. A person can be charged with simple assault even if an attempt or threat of violence can be sufficient for a charge. In some cases, a person can be angry with no real intention behind their words, yet can be charged just the same.

In rarer cases, yet they still happen, a person can be charged even if something accidentally happened. A person could be charged with assault because of reckless or careless behavior. For example, waiving around a gun or deadly weapon with disregard for traditional safety standards.

Examples of Simple Assault

To better recognize simple assault, it might be handy to give some concrete instances where charges can arise:

• A person takes a swing at someone, intending to punch them, yet the receiver ducks and the punch misses.
• Two people get in a bar fight, even if the fight started mutually.
• Someone is displaying their skills throwing a knife or ax, and the throw misses so badly that someone is hurt.
• A threat of violence is made, and a person is standing over another with clenched fists.

Potential Charges of a Simple Assault Sentence

Assault and battery in Utah is a second-degree misdemeanor. While a violation is not as significant as a felony, that doesn’t indicate you shouldn’t worry about the impacts a conviction can have on your life. If found guilty of simple assault, a person can expect to face these potential consequences.

• Approximately two years behind bars
• A fine of approximately $5,000

There are situations where the charges can be more severe than others. For example, if the person charged is over 18 and allegedly assaulted a child who is 12 years or younger. In this case, the charges are a first-degree felony and can result in the following punishments:

• Up to five years in prison
• A fine of up to $10,000

Defending Against an Assault Charge

As you can see, the results of a successful assault conviction can be quite large. If you are a loved one has been charged with assault or battery in Utah, you need an experienced defense attorney on your side. We invite you to call The Ault Firm to speak with a legal professional and request a case review at 801-987-8409

In an attempt to discover out who instantly grabbed and also pushed you out of the bar, you may transform about to get a much better appearance at the person battering you. No matter just how innocent your intents might be, the bouncer can react poorly to this, get mad, and escalate the situation to the factor where they drop you to the ground and physically restrain you till the polices can come.

Oftentimes, police officers and baby bouncers can share a unique partnership, resulting in the police officer believing the bouncer’s description of what transpired that evening without a doubt. Although it stands to reason that a police officer would certainly be inclined to think the words of the individual or individuals in charge of maintaining a secure space, the proof doesn’t always sustain their claims. Whether witnesses come forward, monitoring video footage reveals various occasions, or other evidence is located at the scene, the bouncer’s cases that you attacked could end up being false.

Possibly the most challenging part of challenging the bouncer’s claims is proving it in court. Not only is it tough to confirm that they were at mistake since they were just called over after sufficient disruption was triggered to necessitate physical treatment, but testament from drunk witnesses also might not hold much weight before a court.

It may be tough to verify mistakes in these sorts of instances; however, that should not stop you from dealing with protecting yourself if you were charged with disorderly conduct or assault, yet weren’t the one to blame. At The Ault Firm, our Salt Lake City criminal defense lawyer prepares to represent customers across Utah with the skill and tenacity you need to construct reliable lawful protection. Complete our online form for a free private instance testimonial, or offer us a phone call at 801-987-8409 to establish a conference with one of our criminal defense lawyers. The quicker you reach out to us, the much more we can do to assist.

If you’ve ever before gone to a bar that obtains disrupted by a rowdy customer, this scene needs to seem acquainted: it’s starting to get late, and people have had an opportunity to bring a few drinks in them. At the very least, one individual starts to get a little bit as well loud, and also individuals from all across the bar begin to crane their necks to get a far better appearance at the cause of the commotion. As the beverages keep coming, the noise gets louder, until lastly, the baby bouncer is finally called to deal with the issue.