People v. Young
Supreme Court of New York, Appellate Division
210 N.Y.S.2d 358 (1961)
Relevant factsFree
Young (defendant) saw an eighteen-year-old boy being beaten by two middle-aged men on a sidewalk and attacked the men to rescue the boy, not knowing they were undercover detectives lawfully arresting the boy for disorderly conduct while the boy resisted. Young was charged with assault.
IssueFree
Whether an individual commits assault when he intends to cause bodily harm to another, but acted only because he mistakenly believed there was a justifiable reason to do so.