Yup ... attempted 1st degree ... they think about who they’ll hit before they do
Won’t work. Unfortunately.
Aggravated assault, or whatever the term is in the state in question, is probably the maximum that will work.
Atempted murder requires that the prosecutor prove to the jury that the attacker(s) intended to kill. And that just doesn’t seem to be the story in most of these cases. The goal appears to mostly indeed be to knock the victim down/out. There’s a considerable jump from that to intending to kill, and being able to prove that beyond a reasonable doubt.
That said, I hope they prosecute all participants, especially those taping or photographing such attacks, to the max allowed by law. And change the law if needed.