Are You Facing Assault Charges in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania?
If you are charged with assault in Pennsylvania, you must recognize that you are facing a serious charge that, upon conviction, is punishable by fines and imprisonment. This is a serious matter and one that certainly requires an experienced aggravated assault lawyer. The experienced former public defenders at Grace Legal can provide you with the best legal representation to help avoid an assault conviction and achieve the most favorable outcome possible based on the facts of the prosecutor’s case.
The assault lawyers at Grace Legal have decades of experience handling criminal defense cases. As former public defenders and years of private practice as criminal defense attorneys, they know the serious penalties you face and will aggressively protect your constitutional rights.
Types of Aggravated Assault Charges That We Handle
- Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon – Pennsylvania law defines aggravated assault with deadly weapons as the intentional, reckless or negligent use of an object, device or substance which is capable of causing serious bodily injury to another person. This can include anything from a gun to a car or even a baseball bat.
- Aggravated Assault with Intentional Bodily Injury – This aggravated assault occurs when the defendant has caused serious bodily injury with the intent to cause serious harm to another person. The use of a deadly weapon is not required for this charge, but it can be considered an aggravating factor. These charges can include harm due to strangulation and suffocation.
- Aggravated Assault by Vehicle – This charge is applicable to any person who, while operating a motor vehicle, has caused serious bodily injury or death to another person. Intoxication or reckless driving may also be considered an aggravating factor in this type of assault.
- Aggravated Assault with a Firearm – This is defined as the intentional use of a firearm to threaten another person, which creates a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death to another person. This can also include the negligent or reckless use of a firearm.
- Aggravated Assault with Intent to Kill – This is defined as the intentional attempt by one person to cause serious bodily harm, or even death, to another person. These charges usually come with severe penalties, and should always be handled by an experienced defense attorney.
No matter what type of aggravated assault charge you are facing, it is important to contact an experienced criminal defense attorney as soon as possible. At Grace Legal, we understand the seriousness of your situation and will work diligently to protect your rights in court. We have successfully handled numerous aggravated assault cases and stand ready to do the same for you.
If you need your legal rights protected, contact us now.
Aggravated Assault FAQs
What Is Aggravated Assault?
Under Title 18 of the Pennsylvania criminal code, aggravated assault is defined as an attempt to cause serious bodily injury to another, or inducing such injury intentionally, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
To be convicted of aggravated assault, you must:
- Attempt to cause severe bodily harm to someone else, or knowingly, intentionally or recklessly cause serious bodily injury to someone else with extreme indifference to their life
- Attempt to cause or knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly cause bodily harm to police officers or others enumerated in the Pennsylvania Code while those officers or others are acting in the performance of their duty
- Attempt to cause or knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly cause bodily harm to someone using a deadly weapon
- Attempt to cause or knowingly or intentionally cause bodily harm to those employed by an elementary or secondary public or private school
- Physically attempt to put any of the officers listed in the Pennsylvania Code in fear of imminent and serious bodily harm
- Use tear gas or noxious gas, or a device such as a taser gun, against any officer or others listed in the Pennsylvania Code
- Attempt to cause or knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly cause bodily harm to a child who is younger than six
- Attempt to cause or knowingly, intentionally, or recklessly cause serious bodily injury to a child who is younger than 13 years old
What Does Knowing And Intentional Mean?
To prove that a person committed an aggravated assault, the prosecutor must convince the jury that the defendant acted in one of the following ways under Pennsylvania law:
- Knowingly. People act knowingly when they are aware of the consequences of their acts.
- Recklessly. People act recklessly when they consciously disregard the consequences of their acts. A person can be deemed to have acted recklessly when a reasonable person in the same situation would have been aware of the risks associated with their conduct.
What Is Serious Bodily Injury?
Serious bodily injury causes serious, permanent impairment, loss or disfigurement; or creates a substantial risk of death. Anytime your actions are likely to cause death or serious injury, you are showing extreme indifference to human life.
What Are The Penalties For Aggravated Assault in Pennsylvania?
Aggravated assault that does not involve serious bodily injury is a second-degree felony assault charge, punishable by up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
If the defendant causes serious bodily injury or attempts to cause serious bodily injury, aggravated assault is a first-degree felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years and a fine of up to $25,000.
Is There A Defense To Aggravated Assault Charges?
Your criminal defense attorneys will evaluate the facts of your case and determine if you have a legal defense to the aggravated assault charge. Such defenses include:
- Self-defense
- Defense of another
- You did not intend to cause bodily injury
It is the job of your criminal defense lawyer to aggressively defend you against the charge. The best possible outcome and defense will be based on criminal law and the prosecutor’s evidence against you.
Do I Need An Aggravated Assault Attorney?
While you have the right to represent yourself against criminal charges, the fact remains that if you are charged with aggravated assault, it carries a penalty upon a conviction that includes a prison sentence and fines. Only an experienced attorney can best represent you.
The aggravated assault lawyers at Grace Legal have years of experience in criminal defense. They served as public defenders before becoming private practice defense lawyers. From their offices in Camp Hill, they can defend the accused in Harrisburg and all of Central Pennsylvania.
