[aruanan]

Of course it is assault and battery. Ah, but you forget that laws don't apply to rats and lawyers.

Since it was an unprovoked attack without a warning, it was probably just battery. "I'm going to kick your ass" is assault; going ahead and kicking the ass in question is battery. At least that was the distinction years ago.

[johnb838]

Isn't it called Aggravated Assault these days? As in, an attack is an assault. If the attack is 'aggravated' by actual physical contact it becomes Aggravated Assault. I think they changed it because "Battery" means the act of battering, whereas A.A. can be any kind of contact. A take-down, grabbing an arm or a shirt, even an unwanted kiss can be considered an aggravated assault.