Fight at an Employee Event

My question involves criminal law for the state of: Mississippi
My friend was involved in a fight not long ago. It was a employee party. Which only employees should have been there. The bar was rented out and he which is a bartender himself knew the bartenders. He was walking by the bar when he saw a guy, which should not have been at the party in the first place, he was not an employee, grab the tip jar and put it in his shirt. He grab the guy by the arm and said "hey put that back". The guy smarted off to him and pushed my friends hand away, so he punched him. He went down to the ground as my friend was just standing there, the guy tried to kick him when my friend reached down and hit him again. After the second hit my friend backed up and that was the end of it. The guy now has a broken nose and cheek bone. Supposedly he now has filed assault charges against my friend. I am suppose to be called in for a main witness since I saw everything. Where should my friend go from here, can he get the bartenders to file charges against the guy for trespassing and stealing? Or does he just sit back and wait

Your friend needs anger management classes. He provoked a bar fight and I see no defense here.

What your friend should do is get a lawyer. Tresspassing and theft do not justify this assault.

My friend works at the bar that's this happened.. It was an employee party for the bar. However he was not working.. The guy had the tip jar underneath his shirt.. And when my friend asked him to put it back he smarted off and said yea you can blow me later and never put the top jar back.. I understand my friend should have handled the situation in a better manner. But he didn't and this is the result

Being an employee doesn't still doesn't give you the authority to wail away on the guy. He still needs a lawyer.

Even if he was actually on-duty/working there looks to be no provocation that would justify his haulin' off whackin' the perp. He was, or rather is, the primary agressor and therefore properly charged with the assault.

The victim may very well be a trespasser and a thief, but that doesn't change the fact that he is the victim in this instance.

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Quoting mdn57

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My friend works at the bar that's this happened.. It was an employee party for the bar. However he was not working.. The guy had the tip jar underneath his shirt.. And when my friend asked him to put it back he smarted off and said yea you can blow me later and never put the top jar back.. I understand my friend should have handled the situation in a better manner. But he didn't and this is the result

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I have read a great many passages online about the self defense and property. Most all that I have read said I can stand and call you, your mother, your sister, or your wife several bad names you can imagine. Words are not enough to be considered for provoking any physical violence. Of course if I called your relatives those names you very well may attempt violence in a moment of anger. The materials I read said If a person lets say like the thief you mentioned had taken a swing at your friend or even suddenly moved towards your friend in a threatening manner that could be reason enough to defend yourself. Anyway that seems to be very common sense. I would agree with those who posted you can not just start beating on somebody.:wallbang:

Thanks for your input guys.. I completely understand my friend was in the wrong. The only thing that I would say that made my friend snap was when the guy pushed his hand away.. But I am not here to look for justice in what my friend did. I am simply here to get advise for the best outcome of this situation.

We gave you the legal advice...This REQUIRES a lawyer. Nothing you we can discuss on the forum is going to be of much use to him.
A guy pushing away in self defense still doesn't justify your buddy wailing away on him. You can perhaps attempt to restrain a criminal whose act you have witnessed but you can't whollop the guy in the process.