What can be done if you are a Bucks County defendant and you are facing aggravated assault charges involving a deadly weapon (i.e. a knife)? First, you must explore justification of the force with your Bucks County criminal defense lawyer. Or, in other words, self-defense.
These are tough cases. The Commonwealth's courts have a history in aggravated assault cases of not supporting a person who "aggravates" or elevates the use of force. In Commonwealth v. Cutts from 1980, the "use of shiny instrument" capable of slashing is excessive force applied against a person who poked them with a sharp stick.
You further can see in Commonwealth v. Jones from 1974, that the use of a pocket knife against kicking and pushing assailants was considered excessive force. Both of these cases involved unarmed assailants.
If, however, the use of force is "equal" to the assailant's force, you may have a good argument. If both have knives, you can do well. Knife vs. bat? I would argue similar harm can occur with each. The facts and details matter to your case so make sure you review cases with similar issues as your cas.