According to common law, assault is defined as "harmful or offensive contact with a person." The crime is performed through a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm. The FBI's Crime Reporting Program found that in 2010 assault accounted for 62.5 percent of all violent crimes in the United States. Assault is similarly an issue in Henrico County. The following graphics present the issue using Henrico Country Public Crime Data from October 1st through November 18th of 2015.

Most Common Crimes in Henrico County

Assault was the second most common crime committed in Henrico County between October 1st and November 18th. Larceny leads the field by a wide margin, with 922 reported incidents while assault places second with 330 incidents. Suspicious Situation, Vandalism, and Narcotic Drug Violations round out the top five.

Specific Categories of Assaults

Henrico Country assault offenders overwhelmingly commit Non-Aggravated Assaults. Of the 330 total assaults during the period, 298 were Non-Aggravated. Brandish-Firearm Assaults accounted for 13 of the incidents. Additionally, Stalking, Non-Aggravated on Police, and Aggravated each accounted for less than 6 incidents.

Henrico County Assaults by Magisterial District

Among Henrico County's five magisterial districts, the most assaults occured in Fairfield with a reported 124 assaults. Varina experienced the second most with 95 assaults, followed by Brookfield, Three Chopt, and Tuckahoe. Clearly, the magisterial districts of Fairfield and Varina experienced the most assaults during the period by a significant amount. However, no magisterial district was assault-free.