Assault
There
are over 800,000 assaults reported in the U.S. every year. There are different
types of assaults that can occur, but an assault is defined as the threat
or attempt to strike another, whether being successful or not, provided the
target is aware of the danger. The FBI defined a felonious assault as the
unlawful attack or attempt to attack through force or violence to cause physical
injury to another. A felonious assault can be the result of weapons or through
the use of hands, fists, or feet. Regardless of if an injury results from
a felonious attack if there was a weapon used it is classified as a felonious
assault. If a weapon was not used during the assault but serious injury resulted
from the assault by the use of hands, fists, or feet, it is classified as
a felonious assault.
Assault and battery is a type of felonious assault. An incident that has
had actual contact and resulted in the need for medical treatment is considered
assault and battery. A simple assault is when a weapon is not used and
the injuries caused by the assault are only minor.
The FBI's Uniform Crime Report has a crime hierarchy they use to rank violent
crimes like assaults. A felonious assault ranks fourth on the FBI's hierarchy,
though the number of felonious assaults is thought widely underestimated.
The committed assault can be against anyone and may have resulted from
an escalated argument or feud. It is important to speak with an assault
attorney if you have been accused of committing an assault to ensure your
rights are being protected.
Consequences of assault crimes can be imprisonment, probation or parole,
fines, loss of right to possess weapons, and anger management classes to
name a few. Based on if the offender of the assault crime has a prior history
of assault crimes, as well as any other prior convictions, is on current
probation or parole, as well as many other variables will affect the resulting
consequences of the assault crime penalty if convicted.
Not all instances of assault are clear-cut, which is why an assault attorney
is so important. Some assault crimes may have had instances of varying
factors. An assault may have been committed due to self-defense or defending
another person or property, as well as many other factors. A qualified
assault attorney will be able to provide early preparation, if contacted
early enough, as well as complete a through investigation and provide an
aggressive defense to help eliminate the assault crime case or to minimize
the assault crime sentence.
