§ 240

Assault defined

See penalty details Violence & Threats Ch. 9 · Assault and Battery

Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term

An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.

History: Enacted 1872.

Simplified explanation

An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on another person; the section sets no punishment itself.