Last October, a couple of friends and I went to a bar to celebrate a friend's birthday. After that was over we hit a different bar to keep the party going. We stayed there til they stopped serving alcohol. On our way out, we were confronted by a group of 7-8 guys who said one of us mugged them. We tried to talk it out but they wouldnt have it. A fight broke out and they ganged up on my best friend while our other friend and I tried to get them off him. They beat him into a bloody mess. When they finished with him they shifted their rage to the next closest target: me. Before they could jump me I remembered I had my EDC Kershaw knife on me(3.5 inch blade, clipped to my front pocket). Without hesitation I pulled it out and struck the first one of them that attacked me. The fight ended immediately. In the chaos that ensued, I tried to gather my group and get them into my car to make a get away. The police showed up almost immediately. A cop spotted my friend in my backseat covered in blood and stopped us at gun point. I was arrested and confessed to the stabbing. AMA. Proof:http://i.imgur.com/fbAX2rD.jpg?1

Edit: Thanks everyone for all the questions. Keep them coming. I'll answer any and all additional questions tomorrow after work. Sleep time :) Remember, Don't give the cops ANYTHING when being arrested.

Ok, Im back and woah! so many up/down votes and comments! For everyone that keeps asking why I had a knife in the first place, heres a wiki on EDC, Every Day Carry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_day_carry

FAQ: This happened in East San Jose in California.
I was 24. I am 25 now.
The knife was a legal(in my county, anyway) 3.5 inch blade Kershaw Crown.
The knife was ordered to be destroyed.
I payed about $5,000. for bail and other expenses.
The attackers were NOT charged or even arrested. I dont know why. Truthfully, I no longer care.
I dont have an opinion on gun control, the Zimmerman case, the CA or US justice system.
I was arrested because I confessed to stabbing a man. The police dont judge the event. That happens in court.
He did NOT die.
I stabbed him just left of his belly button.

More to be added..

Edit2: going to sleep. Another 12 hour shift tomorrow. If there are any more questions Ill try my best to answer them tomorrow night. Good night, reddit.

Comments: 3843 • Responses: 42  • Date: 

Oakroscoe1252 karma

You were charged? Did you beat it? Convicted? Any guilt/remorse?

aUsefulTool2020 karma

I was charged with Assault with a deadly weapon with a great bodily injury attachment(second count). I beat the case primarily due to a weak case, a weak DA, and a great public defender. I accepted a deal which saw me guilty to a lesser charge(disturbing the peace), 2 years informal probation, restitution, and some community service. None whatsoever. I firmly believe I did what was right. I defended my friends and myself in what could have been a life threatening situation.

Oakroscoe1328 karma

Thanks for the response. I would have felt the exact same way. It's bullshit you even got charged.

aUsefulTool1960 karma

Thank you for reading. If I learned anything from all of this its you should never talk to the cops. They arent looking after your best interest, ever. Pleading the fifth on this one would have gotten my case thrown out due to lack of evidence on the first court date.

Oakroscoe347 karma

You're absolutely right. Even my buddies who are cops tell me, never admit to anything, it's only worse for you. I wish more people knew this. Just keep your mouth shut. Thanks for sharing your story. Also, be famous. I'm a 49ers fan, but Santa Clara DA won charge Ahmed Brooks with assault because he's on the niners, yet you're not famous and defending yourself and you get charged.

aUsefulTool312 karma

The politics of the court system is enough to make your head spin. Thank you.

Adzmodean337 karma

Presumably it's because the police decided to do their job and present him before the court. It's the judge's/magistrate's job to look at the evidence and determine whether it was a justified use of force.

I daresay the assailants would have a different story of the night's events.

aUsefulTool225 karma

Bingo.

BiggieAndTheMets988 karma

Does your username "aUsefulTool" refer to your stabbing knife?

aUsefulTool955 karma

No, I only made the connection when I read your comment.

casual_shoggoth918 karma

At what point did you consume your assailant?

aUsefulTool1212 karma

I did not eat anyone.

Isabelle_likes_tacos593 karma

How's your friend?

aUsefulTool881 karma

He had cuts all over his face, 2 black eyes, bloody nose, and bruised ribs. He bounced back in about a week.

Isabelle_likes_tacos436 karma

That's good :)

aUsefulTool1172 karma

Thanks. Interesting side note: I was living with him and his gf at the time. After it all happened she told me she didnt feel safe around me anymore...

Isabelle_likes_tacos669 karma

Why not? It was all in self defense and if you didn't, you all could of been screwed

aUsefulTool1095 karma

Exactly. She went from being one of my best friends to someone I dont talk to anymore.

hateexchange732 karma

Wow, now that's just sad.

aUsefulTool719 karma

This whole thing taught me to value my life, my family and my real friends. I started writing people who weren't making me a better person right after getting out of jail.

Th3BlackLotus96 karma

That blows. Sorry dude.

Edit: Thanks for the nearly 100 upvotes. Couldn't imagine why my post karma went up so fast....

Double Edit, Thank you for the 112 upvotes, and 100 points.

aUsefulTool395 karma

Don't be sorry. I saw a lot of peoples true colors after this. I've been much happier with the close group of friends I have now.

ManicParroT564 karma

If it was just self defence, why did you have to accept any charge at all?

Did the guy you stabbed survive?

aUsefulTool731 karma

Because I was charged. I admitted to the crime. It had to get dealt with in court. It didnt help that the DA was stubborn as hell. My defender says any other DA would have recognized how weak the case was and dropped it. He survived after some surgery and a week in the hospital.

bake_an_destroy510 karma

After you gutted him... Did you drop a sweet catch phrase?

aUsefulTool1033 karma

I did not, but I would be lying if I said I didnt feel quite Gangsta after it happened.

mikrowiesel420 karma

Which state? I wonder if it would have been less trouble to shoot the attacker. ಠ_ಠ

aUsefulTool480 karma

California.

barefootwizard325 karma

Did you just stab him once?. What does it feel like to stab someone?.

aUsefulTool471 karma

Yes, only once. I couldnt tell you. Adrenaline spawned out of fear of survival is different than any other type of adrenaline. It was over before I even realized it happened.

barefootwizard424 karma

Interesting. Did you ever stab a man in Reno just to watch him die?.

aUsefulTool282 karma

hehe..

Unfulfilled_Promise324 karma

It's currently two minutes to midnight. Do you think I should go buy some beer and start drinking, or wait till tomorrow and start earlier?

aUsefulTool626 karma

Time, in my opinion, has the least relevancy when it comes to drinking.

casual_shoggoth219 karma

You can drink in a time beyond time.

aUsefulTool329 karma

Pliny the Elder?

jschultz57300 karma

What was the outcome?

aUsefulTool523 karma

I ended up being the only one arrested. Spent the night in jail til my parents bailed me out. A LOT of court after that...

Iironen234 karma

How old were you?

aUsefulTool449 karma

24 at the time, 25 now.

catofnortherndarknes267 karma

Did the guys who beat up your friend face any charges? Like assault?

aUsefulTool387 karma

None at all. I was mad about this at first, But let it go when I came to terms with everything.

jdonkey229 karma

How much $$ did this cost you , all the legal BS

aUsefulTool350 karma

Bail was $40,000, payed $4,000. If you take into account the days missed at work due to the various court dates and misc. expenses(driving, documents, food, etc) I would say about $5,000. The victim may also seek restitution, which would make that figure a lot higher.

corporalcornhole357 karma

He's not a victim he's an assailant. Any court that would pursue that needs to be disbanded.

aUsefulTool504 karma

The DA was a stubborn fool. My public defender made her look like a child at the pretrial. The witnesses she used all confirmed my story and were later subpoenaed by MY lawyer to testify for our side...

jdonkey187 karma

Also are you/should you be worried about any kind of retribution from these clowns? I mean the thing started over them looking for revenge for a supposed mugging.

aUsefulTool289 karma

At first I was because we learned from my defender that they were a gangsterish car club known to be affiliated with Surenos. Im not a gang banger but I know their type. Also, one of them lived on the same street as I did at that time. I moved out soon after.

Reiyhn172 karma

Where did you stab him?

aUsefulTool226 karma

A few inches left from his belly button, from what I could tell from the court photos.

zombiekillerxo113 karma

do you feel bad for the guy ?

aUsefulTool428 karma

Not at all. He's a scumbag. His blood came back positive for cocaine, marijuana, and his blood alcohol level that night was through the roof.

jawknee21110 karma

I like this. I always wonder what would happen if I were in this situation. I always carry a small knife with me. Its more of a tool to me than a weapon...

aUsefulTool169 karma

Yes! Look up EDC(Every Day Carry) for more info and tips. I started carrying a knife to make day to day tasks easier. Never imagined it would help me fight off a gang up.

ReelGeneus50 karma

How many people were with you?

aUsefulTool74 karma

The night started with a group of about 6-7. After the birthday boy had too many drinks, he was taken home. Afterwards, my best friend, his brother, and I headed to a the bar where the fight would take place.

faithmeteor49 karma

Would you have changed any of your actions in hindsight, aside from not admitting anything to the police? e.g. used the knife as a threat only

aUsefulTool98 karma

In hindsight yes, I should have left the knife in my car or at home. Not because of what happened but rather because of how expensive the whole ordeal turned out to be.

Spikemaw117 karma

Unfortunately you might be dead if you had done that... Beatings aren't scientific, one wrong punch or kick and you're stone dead. Make that a group beating and your friend is lucky you were there to distract them, and to have survived.

aUsefulTool80 karma

I try not to think of alternate outcomes. The way it turned out was nightmarish enough. The important thing is that we ended up ok and that justice was served...sort of.

jobes40 karma

[deleted]

aUsefulTool56 karma

7-8 months as well. The only thing my defender informed me of was that it lasted 2 years and that i didnt have to report to a PO or the court.

mericho2328 karma

did you regret stabbing him? not because of what followed, i mean if you found yourself in a similar situation would you do the same thing again?

aUsefulTool162 karma

Regret comes from the debt that came with the whole thing. Stab someone to defend my life and that of my friends? I'll do that all day.

Rage_On_Sir11 karma

Are you free right now, as in not under house arrest or something? Seems like it would be pretty hard to get off the hook for stabbing someone, self defense or not.

aUsefulTool42 karma

Yes, I am free. The DA had a very poor case against me. The only incriminating part was my statement. No one present saw me do it, the "victim", included.

AWirlyBird6 karma

Let's say you we're liscenced for a concealed firearm and you used that instead of the pocket knife. How do you imagine the case being different than that of the knife as the weapon used?

aUsefulTool3 karma

Assuming the injury the 'victim sustained were equivalent, I would say the same. Carrying a knife in a legal matter is the same as carrying a firearm legally. Had the injuries been more severe, I'd probably still be in jail...

beardfaced5 karma

Did you enjoy it?

aUsefulTool13 karma

It was too fast for me to know how I felt. I remember reaching for my knife, then it skips forward to putting it back in my pocket.

thecow7773 karma

How old were you when this happened?

Also were you carrying the knife as a daily thing 'just in case' for self defence like this scenario or rather for your job or as a tool?

aUsefulTool4 karma

I was 24, 25 now. Definitely more as a tool, more specifically, My EDC kit.

Star_rider2 karma

Why were you charged when it was obvious you stabbed the guy in self-defense? Did your other friends testify? How did it all go down?

aUsefulTool6 karma

I was charged because I confessed to doing it. Confessing meant that I would go before a judge at some point and tell my side of the story and hope they ruled in my favor. My friends would have testified if the DA hadn't offered me a deal keeping me out of jail before the mail trial with a jury, thus ending the case.

Hbomber172 karma

What was your sentence? Also, what was going through your mind after you stabbed your attacker?

aUsefulTool4 karma

I was sentenced to 2 years probation and 30 days in jail(serving on a work program). right before I was thinking I needed to get to my friend. I cant remember the actual stabbing motion. Afterwards, I kept thinking I needed to leave the scene.

Autok4n32 karma

This is interesting. I never carry anything on me that can be used as a weapon aside from car keys, so my question is -

Did you ever think that you were the type of person to just pull a knife and stab someone like that? Even in self defense, that's a heavy thing to do.

aUsefulTool7 karma

Ive always considered myself a patient, relaxed person. I am more likely to help than to hurt. In the moment of truth, its not so much about what kind of person you are. You're not acting under normal circumstances. I didn't think I had it in me, but my instinct to survive and save my friends says otherwise. Never say never...