If I jumped the counter at a restaurant, or any store for that matter, I wouldnt expect for the workers to act in a peaceful welcoming manner. I do believe the law in some places is that you have to retreat...in other places you can use force, but the amount of force used here was more then enough to stop.
Look up the definition of 'reasonable force'. Someone swearing at you, or even hitting you, does not give you carte blanche to do anything you like back to them. The law, and basic morality, permits you to respond proportionately and with reasonable force, not disproportionately and with clearly excessive violence. A jury will decide which was the case here, after each side's lawyers have put forward the facts and evidence, and if guilty then the judge will hand down what they think is an appropriate sentence in line with their experience and sentencing guidelines. Somehow I suspect they will come up with a more considered and appropriate result than some of the emotional knee-jerk lunacy proposed on this thread.
Depends on the State, ya? Even the most watered-down self-defense interpretation requires the victim "retreat" before using force. The two women initiated force then pursued him after he retreated. Sadly, this poor guy will get the gears. Yes, he used excessive force. On the flipside, how many posters have actually been attacked before? It's real easy to play armchair general. In the heat of the moment, it's totally different. When these stories come up, do any of you consider contacting the victim and offering help with defense costs?
NOT here in Georgia. http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode/default.asp Which is the way it should be. That requirement to retreat was stupid dumb fuck bleeding heart liberal bullshit introduced years ago. It has no place here in the USA.
Amen. Up here in Canada, victims must retreat and use force only after the attacker pursues and strikes again. Even then, the victim can only use as much force as necessary to end the assault, otherwise, it's considered aggravated assault. Can you believe that shit? In practice, Cops usually disregard the circumstances and charge whoever won the fight - even if the victim acted in self-defense and successfully fought off the attack ! Now, the victims hit with all sorts of legal bills and faces possible jail time. It's a complete joke. Britain is even worse. Homeowners who shoot robbers in their own house at night, are charged. I think that's where all this is headed.