As the country braces for yet another holiday shopping season, it has already been reported that shoppers have been brawling all over the country at shopping malls. A man in El Paso has been arrested and charged with assaulting a police officer during a Black Friday brawl at a Walmart store. Authorities in El Paso arrested a 23-year-old man named Ruben Garcia after he allegedly hit an off-duty officer multiple times while he was working security at the store. Police claim Garcia was trying to take a TV that was already being held by an elderly woman. She was crying and asking for help. When the officer approached him, a fight ensured. Garcia is also accused of attempting to choke the officer. Garcia was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility and charged with assault of a public servant.
What is Assault and/or Battery?
People often confuse the terms “assault” and “battery,” but the reality is that they are two distinct crimes in California. Under CA Penal Code § 240, assault is defined as the attempt to use force or violence against someone else. Battery on the other hand, results in the actual use of force or violence on someone else. Actual injury does not have to occur for battery charges, as long as the unlawful touching and force was committed.