ST PAUL, MN — A Minneapolis machete self-defense case ends up setting a new legal precedent.
A man claimed he pulled a machete in self-defense after another man threatened him with a knife at a light rail station. But, the Minnesota State Supreme Court ruled that the man with the machete had an obligation to retreat if at all possible before pulling a weapon, even in self-defense. That’s a first not just for Minnesota, but in the nation according to one of the two dissenting justices.
The duty to retreat when reasonably possible—a judicially created element
of self-defense—applies to persons who claim they were acting in self-defense when they
committed the felony offense of second-degree assault-fear with a device designed as a
weapon and capable of producing death or great bodily harm. – Excerpt from the MN Supreme Court Decision.
You can read the full opinion by clicking here.
