Lesson 17: Don’t follow an aggressor.

When an aggressor retreats, let them go. Chasing after someone—whether it’s an intruder, an angry neighbor, or a road rage driver—can transform a justified defender into an unreasonable aggressor in the eyes of the law. The goal of self-defense is to break contact, not prolong the conflict. If you pursue and engage a fleeing aggressor, prosecutors may treat the resulting confrontation as a new incident where you’re the one who started it.