Fla. court denies 'stand your ground' in fan fight

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A federal immigration agent has lost his "stand-your-ground" appeal in a stabbing at a football game in Florida.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday rejected the appeal from University of Miami fan Edward Mederos. He is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, namely, his government-issued knife.

Mederos claimed he acted in self-defense to protect a friend, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent, from a rival fan outside Florida State University's stadium in Tallahassee in 2009.

A trial judge rejected his pretrial claim of immunity under Florida's "stand your ground" law. It lifts the requirement to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense.

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman will seek to have second-degree murder charges dismissed under the law in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.