Código Penal 245 (a) (4) PC – Agresión con medios que pueden producir una gran lesión corporal

California Penal Code 245(a)(4) PC makes it a crime to assault someone using so much force that it is likely to cause the victim to suffer “serious bodily injury.”

Under California law, an assault is an unlawful attempt to commit violent injury on someone. Bodily harm does not need to occur for an assault to occur.

A “serious bodily injury,” or GBI, is a significant or substantial injury (such as a broken bone, a fractured jaw, and/or gunshot wounds).

Examples of illegal acts under PC 245(a)(4) include:

• Hector throws a brick at his neighbor’s face, but fortunately the neighbor ducks.
• Lamar violently hits a store clerk near the ribs with a baseball bat.
• Jessica tries to stab her ex-boyfriend in the thigh with a knife.

Defenses

Fortunately, there are several legal defenses a person can raise if they are accused of assaulting another person by means likely to produce GBI. These include showing that the defendant:

• He did not commit a robbery;
• It was not likely to cause serious bodily injury; and/or,
• He was falsely accused .

Penalties

A violation of PC 245(a)(4) is what is known as a wobbler offense under California law, meaning it can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony .

If charged as a misdemeanor , the crime is punishable by:

• imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year; and/or,
• a maximum fine of $10,000.

If charged as a felony , the offense is punishable by imprisonment in state prison for:

• two years,
• three years, or
• four years.

Our California criminal defense attorneys will highlight the following in this article:

• 1. What is assault by means likely to cause serious bodily harm?
• 2. What are the best defenses to Penal Code 245(a)(4)?
  • 2.1 There is no assault
  • 2.2 Acts that are not likely to produce LCG
  • 2.3 Falsely accused
• 3. Penalties, punishments and sentences
• 4. Related Offenses
  • 4.1 Assault with a Deadly Weapon – PC 245(a)(1)
  • 4.2 Assault with a Firearm – PC245(a)(2)
  • 4.3 Assault with serious bodily injury – PC 243(d)

1. What is an assault by means likely to cause serious bodily injury?

Under California Penal Code 245(a)(4) PC , it is a crime for a person to:

1. assault someone; and,
2. doing so by means likely to cause “serious bodily injury.” ¹

An “assault,” under California law, is an act that would likely result in the application of force to someone. “Application of force” is defined as any harmful or offensive touching. ²

Note that an assault still occurs if an act did not cause an injury. ³ Also, it does not matter whether a person successfully applied force to another. The only requirement is that there must have been some action (e.g., throwing a bottle) that could have resulted in the application of force to someone. ⁴

California law says that a CBI is a significant or substantial physical injury. The determination of whether an assault could have produced “serious bodily injury” is based on all the facts of the case ^.

Some examples where courts have found that serious bodily injury occurred include:

• a dog bite, ⁶
• broken bones, ⁷
• a swollen black eye, ⁸ and
• bullet wounds. ⁹

2. What are the best defenses to Penal Code 245(a)(4)?

A person charged under PC 245(a)(4) may challenge the charge by raising a legal defense. A good defense can often reduce or even dismiss a charge. Keep in mind, however, that it is critical for a defendant to hire an attorney to obtain the most effective defense.

Three common defenses to PC 245(a)(4) charges are:

1. there is no assault;
2. acts that are not likely to cause serious injury; and/or,
3. falsely accused.

2.1 There is no assault

Remember that there must first be an underlying assault for a party to be guilty of violating Penal Code 245(a)(4). Therefore, a valid legal defense is for a defendant to use the facts of his or her case to prove that he or she did not assault another person.

2.2 Acts that are not likely to cause serious injuries

Along the same lines, it is a legal defense for a defendant to use the facts of his case to show that even if he did commit an assault, his actions were not likely to produce serious injury. For example, he may have thrown a feather at another person (which is technically an assault), but there is no way that the impact of a feather could cause serious injury.

2.3 Falsely accused

Crimes involving assault can be quite complex. Many different people may be involved and it can sometimes be difficult to identify the actual culprit. This can lead to false arrests and misidentifications of offenders. If a prosecutor cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is the person who assaulted another person, by means likely to produce serious injury, then the crime should be dismissed.

3. Penalties, Punishments and Sentences

A violation of PC 245(a)(4) is what is known as a hybrid offense under California law. This means that it can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on:

• the facts of a case; and,
• the defendant’s criminal history.

If charged as a misdemeanor , the crime is punishable by:

• imprisonment in the county jail for up to one year; and/or,
• a maximum fine of $10,000.

If charged as a felony , the crime is punishable by imprisonment in state prison for:

• two years,
• three years, or
• four years.

4. Related Crimes

There are three offenses related to assault by means likely to produce GBI. These are:

1. assault with a deadly weapon – PC 245(a)(1);
2. assault with a firearm – PC 245(a)(2); and,
3. assault with serious bodily injury – PC 243(d).

4.1 Assault with a Deadly Weapon – PC 245(a)(1)

It is a crime in California, under Penal Code 245(a)(1), to assault another person with a deadly weapon .

A prosecutor must prove two things to successfully convict a person under PC 245(a)(1) . These are:

1. the defendant committed an assault; and,
2. committed assault with a deadly weapon. ¹⁰

“Assault” is defined in Section 1 above.

California law defines a “deadly weapon” as any object, instrument, or weapon that is used in a manner that makes it capable of producing death or serious bodily injury. ¹¹

Naturally, this includes obvious deadly weapons like firearms and knives . But other objects that are not normally considered weapons can be deadly weapons if used in a way that could kill someone or cause substantial harm to them.

Some examples include:

• an unloaded gun (if used to hit someone),
• a bottle (if used to attack someone), and
• a pencil (if used to stab someone)

Penal Code 245(a)(1) is a “wobbler” in California law, meaning it can be charged as a misdemeanor or a felony.

If charged as a misdemeanor, the maximum jail sentence that can be imposed is one year in county jail ^.

The basic felony sentence for PC 245(a)(1) is two, three, or four years in state prison. ¹³

4.2 Assault with a Firearm – PC 245(a)(2)

It is a crime in California, under Penal Code 245(a)(2) PC , for a person to use a firearm to commit a robbery.

A prosecutor must prove two things to successfully convict a person under PC 245(a)(2) . They are:

1. the defendant committed an assault; and,
2. committed an assault with a firearm. ¹⁴

” Asalto” se define en la sección 1 anterior.

La ley de California dice que un ” arma de fuego” es cualquier dispositivo diseñado para ser utilizado como arma, desde el cual se dispara o expulsa un proyectil a través de un cañón por la fuerza de una explosión u otra forma de combustión.¹⁵

Pero “arma de fuego” no incluye dispositivos que no usan explosión o combustión, como pistolas de aire comprimido, pistolas de aire o pistolas de perdigones.¹⁶

Las penas por PC 245(a)(2) dependen del tipo de arma que se alega que se usó.

El asalto con un arma de fuego genérica es un “wobbler” en la ley de California, lo que significa que puede ser acusado como delito menor o delito grave.

Si se le acusa como delito menor, el delito es castigado con seis meses a un año en la cárcel del condado. Si se le acusa como delito grave, conlleva una sentencia de prisión estatal de dos, tres o cuatro años.¹⁷

Pero el asalto con un arma de fuego siempre es un delito grave en California si se lleva a cabo con una ametralladora, arma de asalto, rifle .50 BMG o arma de fuego semiautomática.

En ese caso, la posible sentencia de prisión estatal puede variar de tres a doce años.¹⁸

4.3 Agresión con lesiones corporales graves – PC 243(d)

La agresión que causa lesiones corporales graves, o agresión agravada, es un delito según el Código Penal 243(d) PC de California.

Según el Código Penal 243(d), una agresión agravada ocurre cuando:

1. una persona toca intencionalmente a otra de manera dañina u ofensiva; y
2. la persona que ha sido tocada sufre una “lesión corporal grave” como resultado.¹⁹

El delito de agresión agravada es lo que se conoce como un “wobbler” en la ley de California, lo que significa que puede ser acusado como delito menor o delito grave.

Si se acusa como delito menor, la ofensa es punible por:

• hasta un año en la cárcel del condado, y/o
• una multa de hasta mil dólares ($1,000).²⁰

Para la agresión agravada como delito grave, las posibles sanciones incluyen:

• dos, tres o cuatro años en la cárcel del condado, y/o
• una multa de hasta $10,000.²¹

Para obtener más ayuda…

Si usted o alguien que conoce ha sido acusado de un delito bajo el Código Penal de California 245(a)(4), lo invitamos a contactarnos para una consulta gratuita. Estamos disponibles las 24 horas del día, los 7 días de la semana.

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