Assault and battery charges are forms of violent crimes. These are popular crimes in California, and they carry very serious punishment. However, there is a difference between assault and battery.

If you are facing these charges, it is important that you understand them completely. That is why you need a skilled criminal defense attorney helping you if you are facing assault and battery charges.

Assault vs. Battery in California

Under California Penal Code Section 240, assault is defined as an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury upon another person. In other words, you commit assault if you do an act that would likely result in force applied to another person.

On the other hand, battery in California is any willful and unlawful use of force or violence upon the person of another. Under California Penal Code Section 242, battery is a completed use of force or violence upon another person. For instance, if you threw an object at someone, the object actually physically hit that person.

Punishment for Assault and Battery

The consequences of assault and battery are very severe in California. If you are convicted of assault or battery, the punishment you face includes up to 3 years in county jail and fines of up to $1,000.

In addition to jail time and expensive fines, you could be sentenced to community service and required to attend a 52-week batterer’s program as part of your sentence.

In order to avoid this serious punishment, you need to speak to an experienced assault and battery attorney immediately.

Call the Assault and Battery Lawyers at Wallin & Klarich

If you or someone you love is accused of assault and battery in California, you need the help of a skilled criminal defense attorney who can fight for your freedom. At Wallin & Klarich, our knowledgeable assault and battery attorneys have been successfully defending our clients facing assault and battery charges for over 40 years. We’ve helped thousands of clients in their time of legal need, and we can help you now.

With offices located in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Torrance, West Covina, Sherman Oaks, Victorville and Ventura, our experienced criminal defense attorneys are available to help you no matter where you work or live.

Call our offices now at (877) 4-NO-JAIL or (877) 466-5245 for a free phone consultation so we can begin helping you with your case. We will get through this together.