[fr0sty]

> Assault charges but not physical violence? What in the world?

"The legal definition of assault is an intentional act that gives another person reasonable fear that they'll be physically harmed or offensively touched. No physical contact or injury has to actually occur, but the accused person must have intentionally acted in a way to cause that fear."

https://vindicatelaw.com/assault-vs-battery-are-they-the-sam...

[rpmisms]

It's one of the most ridiculous charges. It's also remarkably easy to avoid: simply replace the "I'm gonna" part of a threat with "I hope someone".

Example: "I'm gonna shoot you" is legally assault in my jurisdiction. "Someone should shoot you": not assault.