Sentence: Unless otherwise provided, aggravated battery is a Class 3 felony.

In Illinois, a person may be charged with aggravated battery based on the following:

(a)  Injury.  A person commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, other than by the discharge of a firearm, he or she knowingly does any of the following:

(1) Causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement.  This offense could be a Class 1 felony if certain conditions are met.

(2) Causes severe and permanent disability, great bodily harm, or disfigurement by means of a caustic or flammable substance, a poisonous gas, a deadly biological or chemical contaminant or agent, a radioactive substance, or a bomb or explosive compound. This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 6 years and a maximum of 45 years.

(3) Causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual whom the person knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, of Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.  This offense is a Class 1 felony.

(4) Causes great bodily harm or permanent disability or disfigurement to an individual 60 years of age or older.  This offense is a Class 2 felony.

(5) Strangles another individual.  This offense could be a Class 1 felony is certain conditions are met.

(b)  Injury to a Child or Intellectually Disabled Person.  A person who is at least 18 years of age commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, he or she knowingly and without legal justification by any means:

(1) causes great bodily harm or disability or disfigurement to any child under the age of 13 years, or to any severely or profoundly intellectually disabled person (this offense is a Class X felony, except that additional years shall be added on if certain firearm conditions are met) ; or

(2) causes bodily harm or disability or disfigurement to any child under the age of 13 years or to any severely or profoundly intellectually disabled person.

(c) Location of Conduct.  A person commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, other than by the discharge of a firearm, he or she is or the person battered is on or about a public way, public property, a public place of accommodation or amusement, a sports venue, or a domestic violence shelter.

(d)  Status of Victim.  A person commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, other than by discharge of a firearm, he or she knows the individual battered to be any of the following:

(1) A person 60 years of age or older.

(2) A person who is pregnant or physically handicapped.

(3) A teacher or school employee upon school grounds or grounds adjacent to a school or in any part of a building used for school purposes.

(4) A peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons (this offense is a Class 2 felony):

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.

(5) A judge, emergency management worker, emergency medical technician, or utility worker:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.

(6) An officer or employee performing of the State of Illinois, a unit of local government, or a school district, while performing his or her official duties.

(7) A transit employee performing his or her official duties, or transit passenger.

(8) A taxi driver on duty.

(9) A merchant who detains the person for an alleged commission of retail theft under Section 16-26 of this Code and the person without legal justification by any means causes harm to the merchant.

(10) A person authorized to serve process under Section 2-202 of the Code of Civil Procedure or a special process server appointed by the circuit court while that individual is in the performance of his or her duties as a process server.

(11) A nurse while in the performance of his or her duties as a nurse.

(e)  Use of a Firearm.  A person commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, he or she knowingly does any of the following:

(1) Discharges a firearm, other than a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person.  This offense is a Class X felony.

(2) Discharges a firearm, other than a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person he or she knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, person summoned by a police officer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or emergency management worker:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(3) Discharges a firearm, other than a machine gun or s firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person he or she knows to be an emergency medical technician employed by a municipality or other governmental unit:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(4) Discharges a firearm and causes any injury to a person he or she knows to be a teacher, a student in a school, or a school employee, and the teacher, student, or employee is upon school grounds or grounds adjacent to a school or in any part of a building used for school purposes.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(5) Discharges a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to another person.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 12 yearsand a maximum of 45 years.

(6) Discharges a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person he or she knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, person summoned by a police officer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee or emergency management worker:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(7) Discharges a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person her or she knows to be an emergency medical technician employed by a municipality or other governmental unit:

(i) performing his or her official duties;

(ii) battered to prevent performance of his or her official duties; or

(iii) battered in retaliation for performing his or her official duties.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(8) Discharges a machine gun or a firearm equipped with a silencer, and causes any injury to a person he or she knows to be a teacher, or a student in a school, or a school employee, and the teacher, student, or employee is upon school grounds or grounds adjacent to a school or in any part of a building used for school purposes.  This offense is a Class X felony for which a person shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 60 years.

(f)  Use of a Weapon or Device.  A person commits aggravated battery when, in committing a battery, he or she does any of the following:

(1) Uses a deadly weapon other than by discharge of a firearm, or uses an air rifle as defined in the Air Rifle Act.

(2) Wears a hood, robe or mask to conceal his or her identity.

(3) Knowingly and without lawful justification shines or flashes a laser gunsight or other laser device attached to a firearm, or used in concert with a firearm, so that the laser beam strikes upon or against the person of another.

(4) Knowingly video or audio records the offense with the intent to disseminate the recording.

(g)  Certain Conduct.  A person commits aggravated battery when, other than by discharge of a firearm, he or she does any of the following:

(1) Violates Section 401 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act by unlawfully delivering a controlled substance to another and any user experiences great bodily harm or permanent disability as a result of the injection, inhalation, or ingestion of any amount of the controlled substances.  This offense is a Class 1 felony.

(2) Knowingly administers to an individual or causes him or her to take, without his or her consent or by threat or deception, and for other than medical purposes, any intoxicating, poisonous, stupefying, narcotic, anesthetic, or controlled substances, or gives to another person any food containing any substance or object intended to physical injury if eaten.

(3) Knowingly causes or attempts to cause a correctional institution employee of Department of Human Services employee to come into contact with blood, seminal fluid, urine, or feces by throwing, tossing, or expelling the fluid or material, and the person is an inmate of a penal institution or is a sexually dangerous person or sexually violent person in the custody of the department of Human Services.  This offense is a Class 2 felony.

(h) Sentence.  Unless otherwise provided, aggravated battery is a Class 3 Felony.

(i)   Definitions.  For the purpose of this Section:

“Building or other structure used to provide shelter” has the meaning ascribed to “shelter” in Section 1 of the Domestic Violence Shelters Act (20 ILCS 1310).

“Domestic violence”has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 (750 ILCS 60).

“Domestic violence shelter” means any building or other structure used to provide shelter or other services to victims or to the dependent children of victims of domestic violence pursuant to the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986 (750 ILCS 60) or the Domestic Violence Shelters Act (20 ILCS 1310), or any place within 500 feet of such a building or other structure in the case of a person who is going to or from such a building or other structure.

“Firearm” has the meaning provided under Section 1.1 of the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act (430 ILCS 65), and does not include an air rifle as defined by Section 24.8-0.1 (720 ILCS 24.8-1.1) of the Illinois Criminal Code.

“Machine gun” has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 24-1 (720 ILCS 24-1) of the Illinois Criminal Code.

“Merchant” has the meaning ascribed to it in Section 16-0.1 (720 ILCS 5/16-0.1) of the Illinois Criminal Code.

“Strangle” means intentionally impeding the normal breathing or circulation of the blood of an individual by applying pressure on the throat or neck of that individual or by blocking the nose or mouth of that individual.