When defending yourself from a criminakl agressor how much force is considered neccesary?

Question

for example if they have a knife can you smash their head with a brick?

If they are highly trained but weoponless can you use a weopon?

at what point is deadly force allowed?

Do you just have to rely on witnesses to prove that you did what was neccesary?

Answer 1

"Necessary" force is the amount of force needed to contain a situation. Excessive force is when the situation is contained and force is continued to be used

Escalating levels of force is highly fluid. If a person attacks with a knife, a brick (or non traditional striking implement) would not be considered excessive to use in your defense.

If a person strikes a martial arts stance or states they are trained in martial arts, that is considered a deadly threat and MAY be reacted to as such.

Deadly force is allowed ONLY when your life is in danger. As an example, a person assaults you holding a handgun. You take out your own handgun and the perpetrator turns and runs away. The moment his back is turned, there is no longer a deadly threat. Now, take it a step further. As he runs away, he is firing blindly over his shoulder at you. The deadly threat is now evident and you return fire.

Another example of deadly threats is three or more people attacking you at the same time. If you are an 88 pound housewife being attacked by a man that is 6'4" and weighs 340 pounds, that can be considered a deadly threat.

Finally, yes, witnesses are always helpful in defending your position later in a court of law.

I hope helps and you can find it useful

Answer 2

Necessary force is defined as the force necessary to stop the attack. a brick and  knife might be considered a match. A weapon against some one trained and Tae Kwon Do. Would be considered necessary force. Deadly  force would be considered necessary in a case where your life is seriously in danger. I don't think that you would have to have a witness to prove it in many cases. IE; if the person had a gun or if you were seriously injured in the scuffle. Are you planning on hurting someone? You seem to be asking a lot of questions about protecting yourself today.

Answer 3

I think you better stay safe and stay inside or call 911 on your phone :-)

Answer 4

The answer to this varies on the location and situation.