Assault in Chicago — Crime Statistics 2026

Assault in Illinois is conduct that places another person in reasonable apprehension of receiving a battery — no physical contact is required. Under 720 ILCS 5/12-1 simple assault is a misdemeanor; aggravated assault, involving a deadly weapon, a hidden face, or protected victims, carries heavier penalties. This is the reverse of some states’ usage, where "assault" means the physical attack itself.

Chicago PD files assault separately from battery: assault is the credible threat, battery is the actual contact. IUCR descriptions distinguish simple from aggravated assault and note weapon involvement, including handgun and knife subcategories.

LocalCrimeVault has 39,973 assault reports indexed in Chicago — 9.1% of all tracked incidents. The most recent full month on record (July 2026) logged 1,049 reports, down from 1,711 in June 2026.