Commonwealth v. J.M. – Brockton District Court
FELONY ASSAULT CHARGE STEMMING FROM A BRAWL AT THE TAMBOO RESTAURANT IN BROCKTON DISMISSED AGAINST IMMIGRANT MAN FACING DEPORTATION AFTER NOONAN DEFENSE TEAM PRESENTS EVIDENCE THAT THE ALLEGED VICTIM AND HER GROUP STARTED THE FIGHT, MADE THREATS, THREW GLASSES, AND INJURED TWO PEOPLE IN THE DEFENDANT’S PARTY
Defendant, a Brockton man, with no criminal record, is a hospital worker at Newton Wellesley Hospital. On October 14, 2018, Defendant and his family went to church to celebrate the baptism of his twin babies. After the baptism, Defendant’s family booked a room at the Tamboo Restaurant in Brockton to celebrate the baptism. Inside the Tamboo, there was a dispute with another group who had booked the same room for a fashion show. There was an argument between the Defendant’s group and the Fashion Group, which culminated in a brawl between the two parties. It was alleged that the Defendant picked up a chair, threw it, and the chair struck the alleged victim in the foot. The alleged victim was taken to the hospital for the injuries to her foot. Defendant was charged with Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (G.L. c. 265, §15A). Because the Defendant was not an American citizen, he was facing deportation if he was convicted.
Result: Prior to trial, the Noonan Defense Team provided the Commonwealth with the following evidence: Someone in the alleged victim’s group threw a glass, which almost struck one of the Defendant’s babies and a 10 year-old child. Someone in the alleged victim’s group threw a punch at the Defendant’s fiancé, as the fiancé was holding one of the Defendant’s babies. The alleged victim’s group charged over at the Defendant’s group and knocked over the Defendant’s 71 year-old future mother-in-law, which resulted in injuries to the mother-in-law. One member of the alleged victim’s group punched a woman in the Defendant’s group in the face, knocked her to the ground, whereupon other members of the alleged victim’s group proceeded to attack this woman, injuring her to the point where she had to be taken to the emergency room. One member of the alleged victim’s group threatened the Defendant’s group with a pair of scissors. During this altercation, the alleged victim’s group was making threats to cause bodily harm to the Defendant’s group. The Noonan Defense Team interviewed the manager of the restaurant who witnessed the brawl. The manager told our investigator that he did not see the Defendant throw a chair. The Noonan Defense Team was prepared to call 5 witnesses from the Defendant’s group to testify and was ready to introduce medical records of those from the Defendant’s group who were injured in the brawl, along with a 911 call made by a member of the Defendant’s group who reported that she had been assaulted by the other group. Prior to trial, the prosecutor asked the Judge to have an attorney appointed to represent the alleged victim and to her evaluate her for a potential Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. The alleged victim exercised her privilege against self-incrimination and the Commonwealth dismissed the case. As a result, the Defendant, a hard-working immigrant, and father of two twin babies, with no criminal record, will not be deported.
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