Legal Definitions - affranchise

An affray is a legal term referring to a public disturbance involving two or more individuals who engage in mutual fighting in a public place, causing fear or alarm to those nearby. The key elements are that the fighting is consensual between the participants and occurs in a location accessible to the public, creating a sense of terror or disruption among onlookers.

• Example 1: Two individuals, after a heated argument inside a restaurant, decide to take their dispute outside onto the sidewalk. They both willingly engage in a physical altercation, exchanging punches and shoves, while pedestrians and restaurant patrons watch in alarm, some calling the police.

  Explanation: This is an affray because the fighting is mutual (both individuals willingly participate), involves two people, takes place in a public area (the sidewalk), and causes fear and disturbance to the onlookers.

• Example 2: During a busy afternoon, two rival groups of teenagers encounter each other in a public plaza. After a brief exchange of words, members from both groups spontaneously begin fighting, pushing and punching each other. Shoppers and families enjoying the plaza quickly scatter, fearing for their safety and calling emergency services.

  Explanation: This constitutes an affray as multiple individuals from both groups are engaged in mutual combat in a public space (the plaza). The spontaneous nature of the fight, combined with the fear and disruption it causes to the general public, fulfills the definition.

• Example 3: Towards the end of a crowded outdoor music concert, two concertgoers, who had been arguing over a spilled drink, suddenly start pushing and punching each other in the middle of the audience. Other attendees nearby become frightened, try to move away, and some fall, creating a minor panic and disrupting the performance.

  Explanation: This situation illustrates an affray because two individuals are mutually engaged in a physical fight within a public gathering (the concert crowd). Their actions cause alarm and disruption among the surrounding audience, fulfilling the requirement of causing terror to onlookers.