I'm an adult (30's), was playing roller hockey with friends in a cage outdoors in a park, in the United States. Some kids, probably around junior high age, decide they want to use the cage. Some of them had bats and softballs and start intentionally hitting softballs into the cage while we're playing - obviously super dangerous situation because those can hit us in the head, or tangle up our blades and cause us to wreck. Others actually come into the cage with their gear, start posturing at us verbally, swinging sticks at us, etc... not enough to really hurt since most of us are wearing pads, but they're both deliberately playing dangerously and taking swings at us and at our feet and our skates.
We try to de-escalate, but they're having none of it, and we don't see any parents around. We're big guys, some of us on our college ice hockey team. But it's not like we were going to retaliate physically.
Fortunately, eventually after a while the kids gave up, but I'm curious what we could do legally, and what you think ethically we should do? For example, even if you tell me I could hit the kid back if he takes a swing at me and injures me, I'm not sure I would feel right doing that, and I'm not sure a jury would side with me. The only things I can think of doing are:
A. Just bearing through it and hoping that we don't get too injured.
B. Yield and leave the cage.
I think we would have done (B) if the kids hadn't given up. I feel that teaches the wrong lesson to the kids, but it's better than us getting seriously injured or retaliating and causing injury.
On a more general note, I'm curious what options constitute proper self defense if a minor attacks an adult. Obviously it depends on the severity (e.g. different situation if a kid has a knife), but a hockey stick and softballs can be pretty dangerous.
Submitted November 16, 2020 at 09:15PM by the_point_is_lost https://ift.tt/32PEohd
No comments:
Post a Comment