Assault 3 (M) includes intentionally causing PI.

Assault 3 (M) includes intentionally causing PI.

• A. Intends and causes PI.
• B. Recklessly causes PI/SPI without weapon.
• C. Recklessly causes PI with weapon.
• D. Criminal negligence causes PI/SPI with weapon.

Answer: (A)

The key idea here is the mental state required for Assault 3: the offender must intend to cause physical injury and actually causes that injury. In this offense, the person has a purposeful plan to injure someone, and the injury results from that action. That combination—intent to harm plus the resulting physical injury—is what makes it Assault 3. So, describing it as someone who intends to cause physical injury and does cause injury fits the statute: the injury occurs as a result of a deliberate act aimed at harming the other person. The other scenarios describe different mental states—recklessness or negligence—and/or involve weapon factors that point to different charges or higher degrees. For Assault 3, the critical element is the intentional intent to cause physical injury followed by the actual injury.

The key idea here is the mental state required for Assault 3: the offender must intend to cause physical injury and actually causes that injury. In this offense, the person has a purposeful plan to injure someone, and the injury results from that action. That combination—intent to harm plus the resulting physical injury—is what makes it Assault 3.

So, describing it as someone who intends to cause physical injury and does cause injury fits the statute: the injury occurs as a result of a deliberate act aimed at harming the other person. The other scenarios describe different mental states—recklessness or negligence—and/or involve weapon factors that point to different charges or higher degrees. For Assault 3, the critical element is the intentional intent to cause physical injury followed by the actual injury.