Aggravated Assault

a. Aggravated Assault is the unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. Usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. 

Examples

1. Assaults or attempts to kill or Murder
2. Poisoning (including date rape drugs)
3. Assault with a dangerous or deadly weapon
4. Maiming
5. Mayhem
6. Assault with explosives
7. Assault with disease such as deliberate attempts to inflict the disease by biting, spitting, etc.

There are four categories of aggravated assault:

1. Aggravated assault with a firearm. When a firearm of any type is used or threatened to be used. It includes revolvers, semi-automatic pistols, shotguns, zip guns, rifles, etc.
2. Aggravated assault with a knife or cutting instrument. When weapons such as knives, razors, hatchets, axes, cleavers, scissors, glass, broken bottles, or ice picks are used to cut or stab objects or used to threaten someone.
3. Aggravated assault with other dangerous weapons. Use or threatened use of any object as a weapon in which serious injury does or could result. Weapons include mace, pepper spray, clubs, bricks, jack handles, tire irons, bottles or other blunt objects to club or beat victims. Also includes explosives, acid, lye, poisoning, scalding and burning.
4. Aggravated assault with hands, fists, feet and teeth. Use of personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) that result in serious or aggravated injury.

Comments

• Count one offense per victim
• Only count crimes meeting UCR definition
• Count offense per victim even if injury does not result if a weapon is used that could have caused serious injury
• Do NOT count offenses based on local law classification or policy definitions

Factors to consider

• Type of weapon or use of an object
• Intent of the assailant to cause injury
• Seriousness of the injury
• • Serious injuries include broken bones, stitches, internal injury, loss of teeth, severe laceration and loss of consciousness.
  • If the number of persons involved cannot be distinguished from the victims, count the number of persons assaulted as the number of offenses.

Examples of Aggravated Assault

• Scenario 1: Sarah and Anne have a heated argument at a party at a sorority house owned by a recognized sorority located a mile from the campus. Sarah grabs a lacrosse stick and repeatedly beats Anne across the back with it, breaking several ribs. Include this as one Aggravated Assault in the noncampus category.
• Scenario 2: Two students are involved in a fistfight in the laundry room in their on-campus dormitory. Both sustain head injuries and are treated at a hospital. Include this as two Aggravated Assaults in the on-campus category and two Aggravated Assaults in the on-campus student housing facility category.
• Scenario 3: Brad and Tim are involved in a physical altercation in a campus parking lot behind their dormitory. Brad pulls a canister of Mace from his pocket and sprays Tim in the face, causing him severe burning and discomfort. Tim flees the scene and seeks medical attention. Include this as one on-campus Aggravated Assault.
• Scenario 4: Campus police respond to a disturbance call on a public sidewalk in back of the campus and find a fight in progress. Most of the participants escape except for four injured individuals. None of the individuals would cooperate and the campus police could not determine who started the fight. The four individuals suffered from severe knife wounds. Include this as four Aggravated Assaults on public property.
• Scenario 5: A male student slips a date rape drug into a female student’s drink at a noncampus fraternity house. Before he can lure the victim away from her friends, however, someone notices what he had done and summons the police. Count this as one noncampus Aggravated Assault.