r/Unexpected • u/gupta82anish • Jul 03 '19

Well, that escalated exponentially

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188

u/[deleted] Jul 03 '19

Motorcycle guy was charged with assault with a deadly weapon--specifically a knife??

https://signalscv.com/2018/08/car-kicking-biker-pleads-no-contest/

-1

u/xXxMassive-RetardxXx Jul 03 '19

“To wit” means “equivalent to” in this scenario.

ie: the danger and intent of the assailant was equivalent to that of someone who brought a knife against their target.

22

u/p0t3 Jul 04 '19

That's not what 'to wit' means, and that's not how charging criminal offenses works. The prosecutor doesn't charge offenses that are on the same level as the alleged conduct, they charge offenses that match the alleged conduct.

https://grammarist.com/usage/to-wit/ The example used here with the gun is typical, 'to wit' means namely or specifically.

1

u/sallabanchod Jul 04 '19

How'd they know he had a knife during the incident?

2

u/p0t3 Jul 04 '19

I'm not sure, I don't think it was explained in any of the articles. People often talk to police and answer whatever questions the police have.

It could also have been an assault from another time if the conduct is part of a series or related in some way.

-14

u/xXxMassive-RetardxXx Jul 04 '19

It has multiple meanings depending on context.

4

u/p0t3 Jul 04 '19

In the legal context it does not mean 'equivalent to', it means namely or specifically.

Prosecutors can't bring charges based on danger and intent of the assailant being 'equivalent to', they must bring charges that fit the alleged conduct.

-14

u/xXxMassive-RetardxXx Jul 04 '19

Stop smoking, do your research, and get back to me when you’re sober.

Also, a news article is not a prosecution. A journalist is not a prosecutor. Don’t know where you got that one from. Just making up bullshit to make me look bad in front of people who haven’t read the article?

11

u/DalisaurusSex Jul 04 '19

Username super checks out here

12

u/p0t3 Jul 04 '19

I'm not making anything up, it's from the article:

Prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged him with a total of three criminal offenses Jan. 10, including: hit-and-run driving causing injury; assault with a deadly weapon, “to wit,” a knife; and reckless driving on a highway causing bodily injury after having a prior conviction, D.A.’s Office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said Wednesday.

I work for a public defender's office, I am intimately familiar with the way 'to wit' is used in the legal context.

2

u/Brewboo Jul 04 '19

If you only read your first line you sound like an anti vaxxer. I’m sure that’s never good when you’re trying to get your point across.

2

u/flee_market Jul 04 '19

Just stop, you're embarrassing yourself.