Violent crimes are treated very seriously by Los Angeles and California courts. If you’ve been accused of a violent crime, you could be facing extensive fines, marks on your criminal record, and years in jail. However, you might be able to avoid a harsh sentence for a white-collar crime conviction.
A Los Angeles violent crimes lawyer from Simmrin Law Group can help you with your case. If you are charged with a violent crime in L.A., contacting one of our experienced Los Angeles criminal defense lawyers is your best option. We’re ready to review your case for free.
What Is Considered a Violent Crime in California?
The scope of what is defined as a violent crime in California is very broad. A violent crime is any crime in which you inflict bodily harm or intend to inflict bodily harm on another person. That can be anything from kidnapping to assault.
Violent crimes are often treated much more harshly than other crimes. Someone accused of a violent crime is more likely to be charged with a felony and face steeper penalties. If you’re facing a violent crime charge, you should have someone by your side who knows how to negotiate with the prosecution and get you a reduced sentence.
For a free legal consultation with a violent crimes lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (310) 896-2723
Common Types of Violent Crimes in Los Angeles
There are a variety of criminal offenses that could be considered violent crimes in Los Angeles. However, there are some offenses that we see more often in the judicial system than others. Some of the more common types of offenses that could be considered violent crimes include:
- Robbery
- Murder
- Assault
- Domestic violence
- Manslaughter
- Kidnapping
- Sexual assault
- Rape
- Arson
These are only a few of the more common offenses that could be grounds for a violent crime charge in Los Angeles. If you are accused of causing severe bodily injury or death to another in another type of offense that was not listed above, you could still be facing harsh penalties. Take steps to defend yourself when you contact a Los Angeles violent crimes attorney for support.
Los Angeles Violent Crimes Lawyer Near Me (310) 896-2723
California’s Three-Strike System
The state of California is hard on defendants with prior felonies. If you’ve been charged before, you need to look out for the three-strike system.
According to the Court of California, when you’re charged with a second felony, your jail time will be twice what it would be if it were your first felony. On your third, you will be sentenced to a term of 25 years to life.
You do not want the severe jail time that comes with a subsequent felony conviction. A violent crime defense lawyer in Los Angeles could be able to get your charge reduced to a misdemeanor. That could help you avoid a first, second, or third felony charge and the penalties that come with California’s three-strike law.
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Can a Los Angeles Violent Crimes Attorney Get My Charges Dropped?
Yes, with enough experience and skill, a violent crimes lawyer in Los Angeles could be able to drop or reduce your charges. To protect you from a severe sentence, one of our L.A. violent crime defense lawyers will:
- Gather evidence that supports your innocence: Your attorney will investigate your charges, looking for evidence for those charges and evidence of your innocence, such as a police report, a witness statement, security camera footage, phone conversation recordings, texts, or other evidence.
- Look for telltale signs of something that went wrong with your arrest: If you were abused during your arrest or if the authorities collected evidence without permission, this could serve your case.
- Negotiate with the prosecutor and the judge: The prosecutor may be willing to offer a plea bargain or reduce charges, and/or the judge may be willing to give you probation over jail time or remove your charges from your criminal record.
- Tell you what you need to do to show you don’t deserve your charges, such as community service or safety classes: You could show the prosecution or the court that you acted reasonably, considering the circumstances in your case.
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How a Violent Crimes Attorney in Los Angeles Can Help You Defend Yourself
Our Los Angeles violent crimes attorneys have experience with violent crime law and know what to do to benefit your case. A violent crimes attorney in LA from our firm can help you present several different defenses to the court, such as:
- Consensual violence: The victim may have consented voluntarily to violence, such as by signing up for a full-contact sports team, and the victim may have known injury could result from the violence. In such a case, you may not be guilty of a crime.
- Mistaken identity: The victim may falsely believe you’re the person who committed the crime.
- Another kind of false allegation: The alleged victim may have falsely accused you of violence, possibly to punish you for a prior act or to gain leverage during a legal proceeding.
- Accidental violence: The victim’s injuries may be due to an accident or even their own negligence.
- Self-defense: You may have been attacked or may have believed you were going to be harmed, and you defended yourself appropriately. Since the alleged victim initiated the incident, you may not be guilty of any crime.
- Defense of another person: The incident may have been initiated by the alleged victim attacking another person, like a friend of yours. If you defended that person, you may not be convicted of a crime.
- Insufficient evidence: There may simply be a lack of convincing evidence against you. For example, there may not be any evidence that your actions resulted in any injuries.
There may be other defenses for your case, such as entrapment, mistake of fact, and no probable cause. Your attorney will consider all of the possible defenses for your case. When you get a free initial consultation with a member of our team, they will assess your case and tell you what you might expect.
When Violent Crime Charges Involve Assault
One of the common violent crime charges in Los Angeles is the charge of assault. Assault can come in several forms, but the basic elements that must be proven in an assault charge include:
- Willful force
- The knowledge that the action could bring harm
- The intent of causing bodily harm to another person
In other words, assault is the intention of using willful force to cause bodily harm, and it has to be shown that the charged person understood that their actions would cause such harm. There are several different kinds of assault.
Assault with a Firearm
An aggravated assault with a firearm charge involves the use of a gun. Assault with a firearm can be charged if you shoot someone, attempt to shoot someone, or hit someone with the butt of your gun (otherwise known as “pistol-whipping”).
Assault with a firearm is one of the many federal gun crimes our firm’s federal gun crimes in Los Angeles have experience defending against successfully. An assault with a firearm charge can carry serious repercussions, including a possible prohibition of your gun rights. Our criminal defense attorneys could be able to get your charges reduced or even dropped.
Assault with a Deadly Weapon
An assault with a deadly weapon charge is more far-reaching than an assault with a firearm charge. This type of violent crime is defined as an attempt to harm someone with any object that reasonably could inflict damage.
The California Penal Code has a long list of deadly weapons, but some examples can include broken glass bottles, swords, knives, and brass knuckles. A car can be used as a weapon, too. Our violent crimes lawyers can also help clients with most weapons charges.
It is important to remember that an actual injury is not necessary for someone to be charged with assault. All that matters is that the charged person was seeking to harm the other person. If actual harm occurred, an additional charge of battery may be added.
Battery Charges
A battery charge is different from an assault charge in that it entails that contact or force actually occurred. Therefore, battery charges often come with harsher penalties than assault charges. For example, a “simple battery” charge is one in which no serious injury resulted from the actions, but a convicted person can still receive such penalties as:
- Half a year in jail
- $2,000 in fines
- Mandatory anger management classes
- A 10-year ban on owning firearms
These are the penalties for simple battery, which is the lowest battery charge possible. Since the punishments only increase from there, anyone facing such charges should seek out the help of our violent crimes lawyers in Los Angeles.
When Violent Crime Charges Involve Domestic Violence
Rather than covering a single infraction or criminal offense, domestic violence covers several different kinds of violence that occur between people in a family or romantic relationship. When facing domestic violence charges, you may face one or all of the following penalties:
- Loss of child custody
- Unfavorable divorce settlements
- Mandatory domestic violence classes
- Jail time
- Fines
A Los Angeles violent crimes defense lawyer from our firm will try to reduce your penalties by any means possible. One of our attorneys will work with you to provide evidence that you deserve a reduced sentence.
What Are the Different Types of Domestic Violence Charges?
Though the violence involved in domestic violence cases in LA can come in many different forms, there are a few charges that commonly come out of these cases.
- Domestic battery: This charge is similar to a charge of simple battery, except that it involves members of the same family or household. Domestic battery involves the use of force against a family member, and it is distinct from the second kind of domestic violence charge (corporal injury) in that an injury does not need to result from the action in order to qualify as domestic battery.
- Corporal injury of a partner: The difference between this charge and a domestic battery charge is that an injury must result from the action in order to qualify as corporal injury of a partner.
- Corporal punishment: This charge is reserved for domestic violence directed at children. Corporal punishment can result in even more serious penalties.
If you’re not sure what kind of charge you’re facing or what the next steps for your case should be, a criminal defense lawyer in L.A. from our firm can help. At your free consultation, a member of our team will assess your case and tell you what we can do to help.
When Violent Crime Charges Involve Murder
The most serious of the violent crimes, murder (homicide), involves three key elements:
- You caused the death of a person.
- You intended to do so or should have known your actions would result in that outcome.
- You had no legal justification (like self-defense) for doing so.
If you’ve been accused of murder, a violent crimes attorney in Los Angeles from our firm can use those elements to argue that you are guilty of a lesser offense. By doing that, they can reduce the penalties of your crime or even get your charge dropped altogether.
What Is the Difference Between First- and Second-Degree Murder?
In California, you can be charged with two degrees of murder: first-degree and second-degree. The only difference is that a first-degree murder charge means you planned the act ahead of time. Because of this, a first-degree murder charge has more serious penalties and can even result in the death penalty.
All murder charges, including second-degree murder charges, carry a minimum sentence of 15 years in state prison. There are some defenses that can lessen or beat the charges, but it is important to have an experienced criminal defense lawyer on your case. Our firm’s Los Angeles violent crime attorneys are ready and willing to help.
About Our Violent Crime Attorneys in L.A.
Our criminal defense lawyers fight hard for our clients and their families. We fight for a dismissal or acquittal of a client’s charges even if we have to take the case to trial. When necessary, we can also fight for a reduction in charges or a fairer resolution.
Our owner and lead attorney, Michael Simmrin, has tried over 100 jury trials, including ones involving capital charges. He has represented thousands of clients successfully. You can be sure he and his team will do everything in their power to resolve your case with the best possible outcome.
Talk to a Member of Our Team for FREE
If you’re worried about the repercussions your charge could bring, we can help. The Los Angeles violent crimes lawyers at Simmrin Law Group have been serving people in California for years and know how to navigate your case.
A member of our team is available for a FREE initial consultation about your case. Simply fill out the form to the right of this page or call to chat with us so we can begin preparing a successful defense for you.
Call or text (310) 896-2723 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form