After a hard week at work, you decide you will unwind at the local bar with some co-workers before your weekend fully starts. Alcohol is helping you forget about the tough week you had at your job. While it may be easing you into your weekend, it can also start a bar fight.

Bar fights can easily be stopped. However, if alcohol is involved, it is easy to have them escalate into something bigger than one expected. There are some criminal charges one can face if they are involved in a bar fight, some of which are more trouble than the bar fight was even worse. 

Four Types of Criminal Charges

There are four different types of criminal charges one can face when they are involved in a bar fight: 

Disorderly Conduct

Disorderly conduct is considered to be a breach of the peace. When in public, it is expected that one will have a sense of decency. Since bars are public, if you are fighting in a bar, you can be charged for disorderly conduct for disturbing the peace. Fines and jail time are often penalties for this misdemeanor of the second degree. 

Disorderly Intoxication

When someone has been consuming alcohol and becomes a threat to those around them, disorderly intoxication can happen. It is the right of the bar owner or a police officer to ask you to leave if they fear a situation is escalating. If, in the physical altercation, a person becomes injured, a second-degree misdemeanor can be charged. 

Aggravated Battery

Aggravated battery occurs when there is an intent to harm another person in the bar fight. If a deadly weapon is used, the charges can increase. A deadly weapon could consist of a glass beer bottle, a steak knife, or a pocket knife. A second-degree felony can be charged with aggravated battery. 

Manslaughter

Manslaughter can be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary manslaughter is when a person takes a life intentionally. When involuntary manslaughter occurs, the death occurred in the heat of the moment. This person was accidentally killed. An example of this is if you push a person off their bar stool and they hit their head on the table, resulting in death. Whether manslaughter is voluntary or involuntary, jail time will be imposed. 

Criminal Defense Attorneys in Florida

If you or a loved one has been in a bar fight and were charged with one of the four criminal charges above, you will need to seek the counsel of an experienced criminal defense lawyer. Musca Law is serving Florida with over 150 years of combined service from all of our attorneys. We are able to put together a strong defense in your case, finding you a favorable outcome. Please reach out to us at (888) 484-5057 today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.