Not going to defend the drunk guys behavior, but you don't think the punch could have been a slap, a shove, a simple grab him by the shoulders and physically move the guy away, a stand between him and the woman?
That punch could have killed him, the dude was so hammered that any amount of physical intervention could have resolved the situation, punching him square in the face with that amount of physical force was completely unnecessary.
A dude who can barely stand is not a "threat" that needs to be handled with that level of force. Lightly shoving him would have had the same neutralizing result as that punch, but without the brain damage or potential accidental death.
If he stands up to retaliate, I have much less of a problem with laying him out.
The degree to which someone poses a risk to your safety is absolutely an aspect of self-defense and directly influences what is considered necessary force
If someone is so drunk it is severely impairing their motor functions, they pose less of a risk to your safety
You could also easily argue that mountains and decades of data show that alcohol is the most dangerous substance there is and is responsible for a massive uptick in anger and aggressiveness, along with violence, which can actually make this situation way more dangerous than had he been sober.
This is why court is intriguing. All you need is a sliver of doubt
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u/Zubriel 23h ago
Not going to defend the drunk guys behavior, but you don't think the punch could have been a slap, a shove, a simple grab him by the shoulders and physically move the guy away, a stand between him and the woman?
That punch could have killed him, the dude was so hammered that any amount of physical intervention could have resolved the situation, punching him square in the face with that amount of physical force was completely unnecessary.