Is it illegal to laugh at a crime being committed?

Question

I recently witnessed an incident in which two men got into a heated argument on the street and one of them kicked the other in the head, knocking him unconscious. Two cops happened to be in the vicinity and arrested the guy, but they were also pretty upset with me, saying the next time I stood and laughed as a crime was being committed they would arrest me. Is there any truth to this?

Answer 1

It really depends on if your jurisdiction has good samaritan laws.  those are laws that require people to act to help someone when they witness a crime being committed.  That help could be something as simple as calling the police or coming to medical aid, etc.  Don't you remember the last episode of Seinfeld?  They sat on the streetcorner cracking up laughing while a guy got robbed.  Those laws are real.  So laughing?  Not necessarily, but you could get caught up in those laws if your city has them for not aiding the victim.

Answer 2

No. You can laugh all you want. You just go to h**l.

Answer 3

Depends on how the laws are spelled out in your state.

Why laugh at something like that?  Maybe if someone knocks you unconscious, someone will laugh about it.

Answer 4

It's not illegal in the U.S. to be an @sshole, per se, and there is no requirement for a citizen to render aid or report a crime. But if you're encouraging the assailant somehow, I could see you being charged as an accessory to the assault.

Answer 5

No,

it's your freedom of expression.