Ark. Code Ann. § 5-13-204

Aggravated assault

Applied in 65 court decisions — leading case 71 Ark. App. 364 - Brewer v. Arkansas Department of Human Services (2001)

Most recently applied in 2026 Ark. App. 177 - Michael Talley; Jonesboro Police Department; And City of Jonesboro, Arkansas v. Carolyn Johnson, Michael Johnson, and Hailey Johnson (Now Boyd) (March 2026)

Acts 1975, No. 280, § 1604; A.S.A. 1947, § 41-1604; Acts 2003, No. 1113, § 1; 2009, No. 332, § 1; 2019, No. 243, § 1.

How often courts cite this section

citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

(1) A person commits aggravated assault if, under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, he or she purposely: Engages in conduct that creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person;

(2) Displays a firearm in such a manner that creates a substantial danger of death or serious physical injury to another person; or

(3) Impedes or prevents the respiration of another person or the circulation of another person's blood by applying pressure on the chest, throat, or neck or by blocking the nose or mouth of the other person.

(4) Aggravated assault is a Class D felony.

(5) The provisions of this section do not apply to: A law enforcement officer acting within the scope of his or her duty; or

(6) A person acting in self-defense or the defense of a third party.

Current official text: Arkansas General Assembly. Digitized from the UniCourt Code Improvement Commission public-domain capture. Reproduced from public-domain Arkansas statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.