SECTIONS 240-248 - California Statutes

PENAL CODE

SECTION 240-248

240. An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present
ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.

241. (a) An assault is punishable by a fine not exceeding one
thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not
exceeding six months, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b) When an assault is committed against the person of a parking
control officer engaged in the performance of his or her duties, and
the person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know
that the victim is a parking control officer, the assault is
punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or
by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by
both the fine and imprisonment.
(c) When an assault is committed against the person of a peace
officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, mobile intensive
care paramedic, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code
enforcement officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in
rendering emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other
health care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer,
firefighter, emergency medical technician, mobile intensive care
paramedic, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code
enforcement officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, or a physician or nurse engaged in
rendering emergency medical care, the assault is punishable by a fine
not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in
the county jail not exceeding one year, or by both the fine and
imprisonment.
(d) As used in this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) Peace officer means any person defined in Chapter 4.5
(commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2.
(2) "Emergency medical technician" means a person possessing a
valid course completion certificate from a program approved by the
State Department of Health Services for the medical training and
education of ambulance personnel, and who meets the standards of
Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety
Code.
(3) "Mobile intensive care paramedic" refers to those persons who
meet the standards set forth in Division 2.5 (commencing with Section
1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(4) "Nurse" means a person who meets the standards of Division 2.5
(commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code.
(5) "Lifeguard" means a person who is:
(A) Employed as a lifeguard by the state, a county, or a city, and
is designated by local ordinance as a public officer who has a duty
and responsibility to enforce local ordinances and misdemeanors
through the issuance of citations.
(B) Wearing distinctive clothing which includes written
identification of the person's status as a lifeguard and which
clearly identifies the employing organization.
(6) "Process server" means any person who meets the standards or
is expressly exempt from the standards set forth in Section 22350 of
the Business and Professions Code.
(7) "Traffic officer" means any person employed by a county or
city to monitor and enforce state laws and local ordinances relating
to parking and the operation of vehicles.
(8) "Animal control officer" means any person employed by a county
or city for purposes of enforcing animal control laws or
regulations.
(9) (A) "Code enforcement officer" means any person who is not
described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of
Part 2 and who is employed by any governmental subdivision, public or
quasi-public corporation, public agency, public service corporation,
any town, city, county, or municipal corporation, whether
incorporated or chartered, that has enforcement authority for health,
safety, and welfare requirements, and whose duties include
enforcement of any statute, rules, regulations, or standards, and who
is authorized to issue citations, or file formal complaints.
(B) "Code enforcement officer" also includes any person who is
employed by the Department of Housing and Community Development who
has enforcement authority for health, safety, and welfare
requirements pursuant to the Employee Housing Act (Part 1 (commencing
with Section 17000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code);
the State Housing Law (Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 17910) of
Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the
Mobilehomes-Manufactured Housing Act (Part 2 (commencing with Section
18000) of Division 13 of the Health and Safety Code); the Mobilehome
Parks Act (Part 2.1 (commencing with Section 18200) of Division 13
of the Health and Safety Code); and the Special Occupancy Parks Act
(Part 2.3 (commencing with Section 18860) of Division 13 of the
Health and Safety Code).
(10) "Parking control officer" means any person employed by a
city, county, or city and county, to monitor and enforce state laws
and local ordinances relating to parking.

241.1. When an assault is committed against the person of a
custodial officer as defined in Section 831 or 831.5, and the person
committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that such
victim is such a custodial officer engaged in the performance of his
duties, the offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the county
jail not exceeding one year or by imprisonment in the state prison.

241.2. (a) (1) When an assault is committed on school or park
property against any person, the assault is punishable by a fine not
exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the
county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and
imprisonment.
(2) When a violation of this section is committed by a minor on
school property, the court may, in addition to any other fine,
sentence, or as a condition of probation, order the minor to attend
counseling as deemed appropriate by the court at the expense of the
minor's parents. The court shall take into consideration the ability
of the minor's parents to pay, however, no minor shall be relieved of
attending counseling because of the minor's parents' inability to
pay for the counseling imposed by this section.
(b) "School," as used in this section, means any elementary
school, junior high school, four-year high school, senior high
school, adult school or any branch thereof, opportunity school,
continuation high school, regional occupational center, evening high
school, technical school, or community college.
(c) "Park," as used in this section, means any publicly maintained
or operated park. It does not include any facility when used for
professional sports or commercial events.

241.3. (a) When an assault is committed against any person on the
property of, or on a motor vehicle of, a public transportation
provider, the offense shall be punished by a fine not to exceed two
thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not to
exceed one year, or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b) As used in this section, "public transportation provider"
means a publicly or privately owned entity that operates, for the
transportation of persons for hire, a bus, taxicab, streetcar, cable
car, trackless trolley, or other motor vehicle, including a vehicle
operated on stationary rails or on a track or rail suspended in air,
or that operates a schoolbus.
(c) As used in this section, "on the property of" means the entire
station where public transportation is available, including the
parking lot reserved for the public who utilize the transportation
system.

241.4. An assault is punishable by fine not exceeding one thousand
dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding
six months, or by both. When the assault is committed against the
person of a peace officer engaged in the performance of his or her
duties as a member of a police department of a school district
pursuant to Section 38000 of the Education Code, and the person
committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the
victim is a peace officer engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, the offense shall be punished by imprisonment in the county
jail not exceeding one year or by imprisonment in the state prison.

241.5. (a) When an assault is committed against a highway worker
engaged in the performance of his or her duties and the person
committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that the
victim is a highway worker engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, the offense shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed two
thousand dollars ($2,000) or by imprisonment in a county jail up to
one year or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) As used in this section, "highway worker" means an employee of
the Department of Transportation, a contractor or employee of a
contractor while working under contract with the Department of
Transportation, an employee of a city, county, or city and county, a
contractor or employee of a contractor while working under contract
with a city, county, or city and county, or a volunteer as defined in
Section 1720.4 of the Labor Code who does one or more of the
following:
(1) Performs maintenance, repair, or construction of state highway
or local street or road infrastructures and associated rights-of-way
in highway or local street or road work zones.
(2) Operates equipment on state highway or local street or road
infrastructures and associated rights-of-way in highway or local
street or road work zones.
(3) Performs any related maintenance work, as required, on state
highway or local street or road infrastructures in highway or local
street or road work zones.

241.6. When an assault is committed against a school employee
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, or in retaliation
for an act performed in the course of his or her duties, whether on
or off campus, during the schoolday or at any other time, and the
person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know the
victim is a school employee, the assault is punishable by
imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine
not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment.
For purposes of this section, "school employee" has the same
meaning as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 245.5.
This section shall not apply to conduct arising during the course
of an otherwise lawful labor dispute.

241.7. Any person who is a party to a civil or criminal action in
which a jury has been selected to try the case and who, while the
legal action is pending or after the conclusion of the trial, commits
an assault against any juror or alternate juror who was selected and
sworn in that legal action, shall be punished by a fine not to
exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in the
county jail not exceeding one year, or by both such fine and
imprisonment, or by imprisonment in the state prison.

241.8. (a) Any person who commits an assault against a member of
the United States Armed Forces because of the victim's service in the
United States Armed Forces shall be punished by a fine not exceeding
two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county jail for
a period not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and
imprisonment.
(b) "Because of" means that the bias motivation must be a cause in
fact of the assault, whether or not other causes exist. When
multiple concurrent motives exist, the prohibited bias must be a
substantial factor in bringing about the assault.

242. A battery is any willful and unlawful use of force or violence
upon the person of another.

243. (a) A battery is punishable by a fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars ($2,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not
exceeding six months, or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) When a battery is committed against the person of a peace
officer, custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical
technician, lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, code
enforcement officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, including
when the peace officer is in a police uniform and is concurrently
performing the duties required of him or her as a peace officer while
also employed in a private capacity as a part-time or casual private
security guard or patrolman, or a nonsworn employee of a probation
department engaged in the performance of his or her duties, whether
on or off duty, or a physician or nurse engaged in rendering
emergency medical care outside a hospital, clinic, or other health
care facility, and the person committing the offense knows or
reasonably should know that the victim is a peace officer, custodial
officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard,
process server, traffic officer, code enforcement officer, or animal
control officer engaged in the performance of his or her duties,
nonsworn employee of a probation department, or a physician or nurse
engaged in rendering emergency medical care, the battery is
punishable by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000), or
by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both
that fine and imprisonment.
(c) (1) When a battery is committed against a custodial officer,
firefighter, emergency medical technician, lifeguard, process server,
traffic officer, or animal control officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
nonsworn employee of a probation department engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, whether on or off duty, or a
physician or nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care
outside a hospital, clinic, or other health care facility, and the
person committing the offense knows or reasonably should know that
the victim is a nonsworn employee of a probation department,
custodial officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician,
lifeguard, process server, traffic officer, or animal control officer
engaged in the performance of his or her duties, or a physician or
nurse engaged in rendering emergency medical care, and an injury is
inflicted on that victim, the battery is punishable by a fine of not
more than two thousand dollars ($2,000), by imprisonment in a county
jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment,
or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three
years.
(2) When the battery specified in paragraph (1) is committed
against a peace officer engaged in the performance of his or her
duties, whether on or off duty, including when the peace officer is
in a police uniform and is concurrently performing the duties
required of him or her as a peace officer while also employed in a
private capacity as a part-time or casual private security guard or
patrolman and the person committing the offense knows or reasonably
should know that the victim is a peace officer engaged in the
performance of his or her duties, the battery is punishable by a fine
of not more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by imprisonment
in a county jail not exceeding one year or in the state prison for 16
months, or two or three years, or by both that fine and
imprisonment.
(d) When a battery is committed against any person and serious
bodily injury is inflicted on the person, the battery is punishable
by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year or
imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or four years.
(e) (1) When a battery is committed against a spouse, a person
with whom the defendant is cohabiting, a person who is the parent of
the defendant's child, former spouse, fianc