State v. Hansen

Defendant was convicted by jury of assault with a dangerous weapon, and sentenced to three years and two months’ imprisonment. He appeals, claiming the court’s instructions on self-defense were erroneous. The issue presented is whether an individual may claim the right of self-defense if he reasonably believed he was in imminent danger of only “bodily harm,” rather than “death or great bodily harm.”

The offense arose out of an altercation in a cafe in Willamina, Oregon, where the parties were seated in different booths. After defendant had been ridiculed by those in the other booth, he…