July 4 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man this week was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stabbing one of three assailants who attacked him at a donut shop.
"I was defending myself," Jeffrey Sumpter, 21, told Judge John Blawie Monday, the Connecticut Post reported.
Blawie told Sumpter he believed him, but had to sentence him under Connecticut law, which requires victims to retreat from their attackers. Sumpter's public defender, Howard Ehring, said Connecticut doesn't have a "Stand Your Ground"-type law that exists in Florida.
Several states have "duty to retreat" laws that apply to people when they're attacked, but are applied and prosecuted differently, according to jurisdiction.
The incident occurred on Sept. 30, 2017, when three juveniles went into the Norwalk, Conn. Dunkin Donuts where Sumpter worked and beat him, according to The Hour. The fight then moved outside and Sumpter stabbed one attacker in the leg.
The juveniles ran away and police found them hiding behind a nearby shopping center. One was hospitalized for the stab wound.
Three days later, Sumpter was charged with first-degree assault and risk of injury to a minor. At the time, he had a pending charge for violating probation after previously pleading guilty to one charge of carrying a dangerous weapon.
The charge was later reduced to first-degree assault, for which he was convicted Monday.
Sumpter will spend 18 months in prison and serve three years of probation.
