2020/08/03 [EP #30-11] - Joshua hit first

[Red Phoenix]

From my (rather loose) understanding of self-defense law, hitting first could easily make you the aggressor when placed in front of a jury but given how nasty 'Cubi tentacles can be in-universe, I think we can let this one slide. That and the fact that Joshua is most likely recording this encounter.

[Raskahn]

Especially when the obvious pshychopath starts saying "I'm so sorry." *spoiler alert* they often are not.

[Tapewolf]

From my (rather loose) understanding of self-defense law, hitting first could easily make you the aggressor when placed in front of a jury but given how nasty 'Cubi tentacles can be in-universe, I think we can let this one slide. That and the fact that Joshua is most likely recording this encounter.

Oh yes, there's a lot of factors at play here.  The Being-Creature Commission are known to be twitchy about androids with combat capabilities (18-10, 20-05) so the mere fact that Josh enabled an emergency combat program will be logged and require some kind of investigation, much like an officer discharging a firearm in the UK generally requires an investigation.
However, Josh is officially investigating the massacre Hayley has just confessed to instigating and/or abetting so his actions would strictly fall within that remit, in that he's apprehending one of those responsible.