Penal Code 244 PC sets forth the California law as to “assault with caustic chemicals.” This section makes it a crime to throw or place caustic or flammable substances on someone with the intent to injure or disfigure that person.
Penal Code 244 PC makes it a crime to throw or place caustic or flammable substances on someone with the intent to injure or disfigure that person.
Penalties for assault with a caustic chemical
PC 244 assault with caustic chemicals is a felony in California.
Possible penalties include:
- 2-4 years in California state prison; and/or
- A fine of up to ten thousand dollars ($10,000). 1 2
The language of the code section reads that:
244. Any person who willfully and maliciously places or throws, or causes to be placed or thrown, upon the person of another, any vitriol, corrosive acid, flammable substance, or caustic chemical of any nature, with the intent to injure the flesh or disfigure the body of that person, is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three or four years.
As used in this section, “flammable substance” means gasoline, petroleum products, or flammable liquids with a flashpoint of 150 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
Defenses
Legal defenses to charges of assault with a caustic chemical often include:
- It was an accident,
- The defendant did not intend to injure or disfigure the other person, or
- The defendant was acting in self-defense or defense of someone else.
To help you better understand the crime of assault with caustic chemicals, our California criminal defense lawyers discuss the following, below: