Today, I was attacked by a group of men on a city bus in Baltimore, MD. Before it started, one of the men was mocking me, so some words were...

Question

Today, I was attacked by a group of men on a city bus in Baltimore, MD. Before it started, one of the men was mocking me, so some words were exchanged, but there were no threats made. As I stood up to get off the bus, another man in the group stood up inches in front of me and continued taunting me by saying I was afraid. I said something along the lines of, "What do I have to be afraid of?" and another man punched me in the face. The whole group started punching me in the face and the back of the head, but I never even raised my hands to strike anyone because I froze. I finally pulled my penknife out of my pocket, raised it up, and told everyone to back away from me. I walked off of the bus and went home. No one was harmed except me. The buses have cameras on them, so I'm worried I may be in some legal trouble. Did I do anything illegal?

Answer

Probably not. You certainly have a self defense argument, if you were accused of assault. However, do not try to plead your case to law enforcement. Their job is to gather evidence, such as getting a statement from you, in order to use it against you. If you do get charged, do not make a statement. Instead, get a criminal defense attorney.