Arrested for Assault in Pennsylvania?

Fight Your Assault Charge With an Aggressive Criminal Defense Lawyer!

Any Assault charge can have very serious consequences, including jail time. Pennsylvania assault laws are complicated and a mistake in how you defend yourself may land you in jail and be facing other serious penalties and punishment. Talk to one of our experienced assault defense lawyers who will use every legal defense to make sure your rights are protected to the fullest extent.

Many people are charged with assault after getting in a fight, and it just happens that the other person files charges, regardless of who may have started the fight! Any kind of punch or brawl, or even just threatening someone with physical harm can get you charged. If someone files assault charges against you, and you end up getting arrested, you’ll need an attorney to help explain what happened, and why the charges should be dropped.

Can I Challenge my PA Assault Charge and Win?

Assault Defense Strategies

Yes, there are many possible defenses. There are a number of ways to beat these cases, depending on what happened in your case. In cases where there was ultimately no serious injury, we can argue intent. Did you really intent to harm the other person? And was the other person’s fear legitimate and true?

I may also challenge the prosecutor to prove it was really you who committed the alleged assault, depending on who actually witnessed the incident. It could be a mistaken identity.  I can also argue that you acted in self defense, or were otherwise justified in taking action under the circumstances.

I’ll also work to get the charges reduced, to take the most serious consequences off the table whenever possible. If it is charged as an Aggravated assault, I will work to knock it down to a simple assault, or if it’s charged as a Misdemeanor 1 or Misdemeanor 2, I may argue that the facts of the case cannot justify a charge above a Misdemeanor 3. A lesser charge will seriously reduce the risk of serious Pennsylvania assault penalties.

But you need an experienced Pennsylvania defense attorney to analyze your case and break down your best chance to fight and win the case in court. Call for a free consultation and case evaluation now at (888) 412-3298 .

Pennsylvania Assault Penalties & Laws

Under Pennsylvania assault laws, a person is guilty of assault if a person intentionally or knowingly causes bodily harm to another, or attempts to do so putting another in fear of injury.

This can be very broadly interpreted to include brandishing an object as a weapon, or coming close to hitting someone with a car.

Simple Assault Penalties

Simple Assault is usually a Misdemeanor 2 charge, unless it is an assault by an adult on a child under 12, in which case it is a more serious Misdemeanor 1. If it is a fight where both parties enter by mutual consent, it is a Misdemeanor 3 charge.

Charge Class Penalty
Simple Assault Misdemeanor 2 Up to 2 years in prison
Simple Assault (Mutual Consent) Misdemeanor 3 Up to 1 year in prison
Simple Assault on a child under 12 Misdemeanor 1 Up to 5 years in prison

Aggravated Assault Penalties (Felony Assault in PA)

Aggravated Assault may be a Felony 1 or Felony 2, with penalties of up to 20 or 10 years in prison, respectively.

An aggravated assault is a Felony 1 if serious bodily injury is caused with “extreme indifference to human life”, or if serious bodily injury is caused to a police officer, firefighter, or other law enforcement or government official.

Assault with a deadly weapon causing body injury is a Felony 2 (F2). A dangerous/deadly weapon may be a knife, bat,  a car, truck or other automobile or vehicle, or almost any blunt object used with force against another person.

Charge Class Penalty
Aggravated Assault Felony 2 Up to 10 years in prison
Aggravated Assault w/extreme indifference to human life Felony 1 Up to 20 years in prison
Assault w/a Deadly Weapon Causing Bodily Injury Felony 2 Up to 10 years in prison

If you’d like some specific legal advice on how I would defend you in your assault case, call me for a free, no obligation criminal defense legal consultation. All calls are strictly confidential, and you risk nothing by talking to me. Call me on any assault or aggravated assault charge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

– The criminal defense attorneys of Pennsylvania-Criminal-Defense.com

We represent clients in criminal cases across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

 

We represent clients in criminal cases across Eastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Lebanon, Carlisle and Lancaster, and  Bucks, Montgomery, Northampton, and Lehigh Counties, as well as all of Western PA, the Pittsburgh, Pa metro area, South Hills, and Century III areas, including Greensburg, Mt Lebanon, Kittanning, Cranberry, Allegheny County, Westmoreland County, Washington County, Armstrong County, Bedford County, Blair County, Butler County, Centre County, Clearfield County, Crawford County, Erie County, Fayette County, Greene County, Indiana County, Huntington County, Lawrence County, Jefferson County, Mercer County, Somerset County, Venango County as well as all other areas of Pennsylvania and beyond.  Call today, no obligation!

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