Have You Been Accused of a Violent Crime in los angeles?

Aggressive defense strategies for assault, battery, robbery, homicide, and weapons charges in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles Violent Crimes Defense Attorney

If you have been accused of a violent crime in Los Angeles, you are facing some of the most serious consequences the California criminal justice system can impose — significant prison time, a permanent strike on your record, and a felony conviction that follows you for life. Los Angeles prosecutors pursue these cases with maximum aggression, and you need a defense attorney who matches that intensity from day one. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi, we have spent over 20 years defending Los Angeles residents against the full spectrum of violent crime charges. If you or someone you care about has been charged with a violent crime, contact our office today for a free confidential consultation.

Violent Crime Charges We Defend Throughout Los Angeles

Violent crimes encompass a broad range of offenses under California law, and the penalties escalate sharply based on the nature of the alleged conduct, the severity of injury, the use of a weapon, and the defendant’s prior record. Attorney Hashemi has successfully defended clients against all of the following charges in Los Angeles County:

Assault and Battery (Penal Code § 240 / § 242)

Assault and battery charges range from misdemeanors to serious felonies depending on the circumstances. Simple assault or battery may be charged as a misdemeanor, but aggravated assault — involving a deadly weapon, caustic chemicals, or assault on a protected person such as a police officer, healthcare worker, or elderly victim — is a felony that carries significant prison exposure.

Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon (Penal Code § 245)

Assault with a deadly weapon (ADW) is one of the most commonly charged felonies in Los Angeles. A “deadly weapon” under California law is not limited to firearms — it includes knives, baseball bats, vehicles, and any object used in a manner capable of causing death or great bodily injury. A conviction carries 2 to 4 years in state prison and constitutes a strike under California’s Three Strikes law.

Robbery (Penal Code § 211)

Robbery — the taking of property from another person by force or fear — is always a felony in California and always a strike offense. First-degree robbery (committed in an inhabited dwelling, on a transit vehicle, or against an ATM user) carries 3, 4, or 6 years in state prison. Second-degree robbery carries 2, 3, or 5 years. Carjacking, charged under Penal Code § 215, carries even greater penalties.

Kidnapping (Penal Code § 207 / § 209)

Simple kidnapping — moving a person a substantial distance against their will by force or fear — carries 3, 5, or 8 years in state prison. Aggravated kidnapping, which includes kidnapping for ransom, extortion, or in connection with a carjacking, carries life imprisonment. These are among the most serious charges in California criminal law, and they demand the most experienced defense possible.

Attempted Murder (Penal Code § 664 / § 187)

Attempted murder requires proof that the defendant took a direct step toward killing another person with the intent to kill. First-degree attempted murder — involving willful, deliberate, and premeditated conduct — carries life in state prison with the possibility of parole. Second-degree attempted murder carries 5, 7, or 9 years. These charges are strike offenses and carry sentence enhancements for gang involvement or use of a firearm.

Murder and Voluntary Manslaughter (Penal Code § 187 / § 192)

Murder is the most serious charge in the California Penal Code. First-degree murder carries 25 years to life in state prison; second-degree murder carries 15 years to life. Special circumstances murder — involving factors such as lying in wait, prior murder convictions, or murder during certain felonies — can result in life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Voluntary manslaughter, a lesser offense charged when a killing occurs in the heat of passion, carries 3, 6, or 11 years. Attorney Hashemi brings 20 years of experience to these cases and leaves no defense unexplored.

Carjacking (Penal Code § 215)

Carjacking — taking a motor vehicle from another person by force or fear — is a felony strike offense carrying 3, 5, or 9 years in state prison. Sentence enhancements apply when a firearm is used, when the victim suffers great bodily injury, or when the offense is committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

Criminal Threats (Penal Code § 422)

Making criminal threats — threatening to kill or cause serious bodily injury to another person, causing them sustained fear — is a wobbler offense that can be charged as either a misdemeanor or felony. When charged as a felony, it constitutes a strike. Criminal threats charges frequently arise in the context of domestic disputes, workplace conflicts, and road rage incidents.

Weapons Charges (Penal Code § 25400 / § 29800)

Carrying a concealed firearm, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, brandishing a weapon, and possession of an illegal weapon are all serious offenses that frequently accompany violent crime charges. Attorney Hashemi defends standalone weapons charges and weapons enhancements attached to underlying violent crime allegations.

California’s Three Strikes Law: What Every Defendant Must Know

California’s Three Strikes law has some of the most severe sentencing implications in the nation, and many violent crime charges qualify as strike offenses. Understanding how this law affects your case is critical.

Under the Three Strikes law (Penal Code § 667):

A second serious or violent felony conviction doubles the otherwise applicable prison sentence.
A third serious or violent felony conviction — where two prior strikes exist — results in a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison, regardless of the nature of the third offense.
Strike offenses include murder, attempted murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking, and many other serious felonies.
Prior strikes from other states may count toward your strike total under California law.

If you have prior strike convictions on your record, the charge you are currently facing takes on an entirely different dimension. Attorney Hashemi has extensive experience with Three Strikes cases and knows how to challenge strike allegations, argue for Romero motions to dismiss prior strikes in the interest of justice, and negotiate outcomes that protect clients from mandatory life sentences.

Sentence Enhancements That Can Add Decades to Your Prison Term

In violent crime cases, sentence enhancements can dramatically increase the prison time you face — often adding more time than the underlying offense itself. Our criminal defense attorney fights aggressively to challenge enhancements at every stage of your case.

Firearm Use Enhancements (Penal Code § 12022.5 / § 12022.53)

Personal use of a firearm: +3, 4, or 10 years
Personal and intentional discharge of a firearm: +20 years
Discharge causing great bodily injury or death: +25 years to life

Great Bodily Injury Enhancement (Penal Code § 12022.7)

Causing great bodily injury: +3 to 6 additional years in state prison
Great bodily injury to a child under 5: +4 to 6 years
Great bodily injury causing permanent paralysis or coma: +5 to 10 years

Gang Enhancement (Penal Code § 186.22)

When prosecutors allege that a violent crime was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang, the sentencing consequences are severe. Felony gang enhancements add 2 to 15 additional years, and certain offenses become life sentences when a gang enhancement is attached. Attorney Hashemi challenges the evidentiary basis for gang enhancements in every applicable case.

Prior Conviction Enhancements

Prior serious felony convictions, prior prison terms, and prior strike convictions all trigger mandatory sentencing increases under California law. Attorney Hashemi examines the validity of prior conviction allegations carefully and challenges them where constitutional or procedural grounds exist.

How Los Angeles Prosecutors Build Violent Crime Cases

Violent crime prosecutions in Los Angeles are among the most resource-intensive cases the District Attorney’s Office handles. Understanding how these cases are constructed is the foundation of building an effective defense.

Eyewitness Identification — Despite its intuitive appeal, eyewitness testimony is one of the least reliable forms of evidence in the criminal justice system. Stress, poor lighting, cross-racial identification issues, and suggestive police lineup procedures all contribute to misidentification. Our firm challenges eyewitness identifications aggressively, often bringing in expert testimony on the psychology of memory and perception.
Physical and Forensic Evidence — Fingerprints, DNA, bloodstain pattern analysis, ballistic evidence, and surveillance footage form the core of many violent crime prosecutions. Our criminal defense attorneys examine how forensic evidence was collected, preserved, analyzed, and interpreted — working with independent experts to challenge flawed methodology, contamination, and overreaching conclusions drawn by prosecution analysts.
Witness and Co-Defendant Testimony — Prosecutors often rely on co-defendants or cooperating witnesses who have negotiated deals in exchange for their testimony. These witnesses have powerful incentives to shade the truth. Our firm cross-examines cooperating witnesses with precision, exposing their motivations, prior inconsistent statements, and credibility issues.
Digital and Surveillance Evidence — Security camera footage, cell phone location data, social media activity, and call records play an increasingly prominent role in violent crime prosecutions. Our criminal defense attorneys scrutinize the authenticity, completeness, and chain of custody of all digital evidence, challenging its admissibility and interpretation where grounds exist.
Gang Expert Testimony — In cases involving gang enhancements, prosecutors call law enforcement gang experts to testify about gang culture, membership, and the alleged connection between the defendant and a criminal street gang. Our firm challenges the qualifications of gang experts, the reliability of their opinions, and the sufficiency of the evidence underlying gang enhancement allegations.

Legal Defense Strategies for Violent Crime Charges in Los Angeles

No two violent crime cases are identical, and no single defense strategy fits every situation. Our firm conducts a thorough, individualized analysis of every case and builds a defense strategy that targets the specific weaknesses in the prosecution’s evidence.

Self-Defense and Defense of Others (Penal Code § 198.5)

California law recognizes the right to use reasonable force — including deadly force in appropriate circumstances — to defend yourself or others from imminent harm. Under California’s Castle Doctrine, you have no duty to retreat before using force in your own home. When our client acted in response to a genuine threat, our firm builds a self-defense case supported by:

Physical evidence and injury analysis
Independent witness accounts
Medical and forensic expert testimony
A direct challenge to the prosecution’s version of events

Mistaken Identity and Alibi

Misidentification is one of the leading causes of wrongful convictions in the United States. When the prosecution’s case rests on eyewitness identification, our criminal defense attorneys investigate the identification procedure and challenge its reliability. We present alibi evidence, surveillance footage, cell phone records, and witness testimony to establish that our client was not present at the scene — and we bring in expert witnesses on the psychology of memory where the case demands it.

Lack of Intent

Many violent crime charges require proof of a specific mental state — intent to kill, intent to cause great bodily injury, or willful and deliberate premeditation. When the evidence does not support that required intent, our firm argues for reduction to lesser charges. Examples include:

Attempted murder reduced to assault
First-degree murder reduced to second-degree murder
Second-degree murder reduced to voluntary manslaughter

Constitutional Violations and Suppression of Evidence

If law enforcement violated your Fourth, Fifth, or Sixth Amendment rights, our firm files targeted suppression motions immediately. Grounds for suppression include:

Unlawful searches and seizures without a valid warrant
Coerced or involuntary confessions
Failure to provide Miranda warnings before custodial interrogation
Denial of your right to counsel during questioning

Suppressing a key confession or a critical piece of physical evidence can fundamentally alter — and sometimes end — a violent crime prosecution entirely.

Heat of Passion and Imperfect Self-Defense

Even when a full acquittal is not achievable, significant reductions in charge level are often possible. Murder charges can be reduced to voluntary manslaughter when the defendant acted in the heat of passion upon adequate provocation, or when the defendant held an honest but unreasonable belief that deadly force was necessary — known as imperfect self-defense. These reductions can mean the difference between a life sentence and a determinate prison term, and our firm pursues every viable path to the best possible outcome.

How our Los Angeles Violent Crime Defense Attorney Can Help

20 Years Defending Violent Crime Cases in Los Angeles Courts Our firm has defended clients against assault, robbery, attempted murder, and murder charges in Los Angeles County courtrooms for over two decades. We have tried complex violent crime cases to verdict, negotiated charge reductions that changed our clients’ lives, and successfully argued suppression motions that ended prosecutions before trial. That depth of experience is irreplaceable when your freedom is on the line.

One Attorney. One Case. Your Case. At The Law Offices of Arash Hashemi, your case receives the direct, personal attention of Attorney Hashemi from the moment you retain our firm through the final resolution. You will never be handed off to a junior associate or managed by a paralegal. When critical decisions need to be made, Attorney Hashemi makes them — with your best interests as the only consideration.

We Work to End Cases Before They Reach Trial The most powerful work in a violent crime case often happens before the jury is ever seated. Our firm:

Files comprehensive motions to suppress unlawfully obtained evidence
Challenges faulty identification procedures early in the process
Moves to dismiss enhancements that lack evidentiary support
Presents exculpatory evidence to prosecutors before charges are locked in

This pretrial approach frequently results in charge reductions or outright dismissals — sparing our clients the risk, cost, and trauma of a jury trial.

A Trial Record That Changes How Prosecutors Negotiate Prosecutors negotiate differently with attorneys they know will take a case to trial and win. Our firm’s two decades of courtroom experience, mastery of cross-examination, and record in serious felony trials give us the credibility and leverage that directly benefit every client — whether the case resolves through negotiation or verdict.

Contact a Los Angeles Violent Crimes Defense Attorney

If you have been accused of a violent crime in Los Angeles, the decisions you make right now will define the outcome of your case. A conviction can mean decades in state prison, a permanent strike on your record, and consequences that reach into every area of your life. Do not face this alone. Contact our office immediately or schedule a confidential consultation with Attorney Hashemi using our secure online system. We will review the facts of your case, explain your legal options, and stand beside you at every stage of the process.

Schedule A Consultation:

Phone: (310) 448-1529
Email: Contact@hashemilaw.com
Address: 11845 W Olympic Blvd #520, Los Angeles, CA 90064
Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, with flexible scheduling options available, including weekend appointments.

We are conveniently located in the Westside Towers, serving clients across Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, the San Fernando Valley, and Westwood. When the stakes are at their highest, let us fight for your rights and your future. Contact our firm today.