Rioting is the offense of participating in a public disturbance involving a group of people using or threatening unlawful force or violence, generally requiring both a minimum number of participants, commonly defined by statute, and some shared common purpose or shared unlawful conduct among them, which distinguishes a riot from a series of unrelated individual offenses happening to occur in the same place at the same time. Most legal systems distinguish rioting from the lesser offense of unlawful assembly, which criminalizes an unlawful gathering itself even before any violence occurs, treating rioting as the more serious offense reserved for a gathering that has actually turned to violence or the credible threat of it. Because rioting by definition involves group conduct, individual liability and the evidence needed to establish it, whether mere presence in a violent crowd is sufficient, or active participation in specific unlawful acts must be shown, has been a persistently contested area of the offense's application, and many jurisdictions require proof of some active participation beyond simple presence. Rioting is frequently charged alongside more specific offenses arising from the same incident, such as arson, looting or assault, committed by individual participants during the disturbance, with the riot charge itself addressing the collective, group character of the disorder.
Facts
Classification CodeSourced to the subject's own accountA riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by some people committing public violence against government or other authority figures and property. 1 Typical PenaltySourced to the subject's own accountA person convicted of riot is liable to imprisonment for any term not exceeding ten years, or to a fine, or to both. 1 Elements of OffenseSourced to the subject's own accountWhere 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot. 1 Notable ExampleSourced to the subject's own accountDuring the 1992 Los Angeles riots, 2,383 people were injured, more than 12,000 were arrested, 55 people were killed and over 700 businesses burned. 1 Jurisdiction VariationSourced to the subject's own accountA public disturbance involving (1) an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons, which act or acts shall constitute a clear and present danger of, or shall result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual or (2) a threat or threats of the commission of an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons having, individually or collectively, the ability of immediate execution of such threat or threats, where the performance of the threatened act or acts of violence would constitute a clear and present danger of, or would result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual. 1 Classification
Offense GradeSourced to the subject's own accountSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Connections
Has Offense Grade
Entity-backed identity for the offense-grade enum value this offense already carries, resolved to a crime concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The offense-grade fact itself stays on the offense unchanged.
Sources
1. Riot (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIntroduction section, first sentence
A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by some people committing public violence against government or other authority figures and property.
Riot control and laws section, England and Wales
Where 12 or more persons who are present together use or threaten unlawful violence for a common purpose and the conduct of them (taken together) is such as would cause a person of reasonable firmness present at the scene to fear for his personal safety, each of the persons using unlawful violence for the common purpose is guilty of riot.
United States section, 18 U.S.C. 2102
A public disturbance involving (1) an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons, which act or acts shall constitute a clear and present danger of, or shall result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual or (2) a threat or threats of the commission of an act or acts of violence by one or more persons part of an assemblage of three or more persons having, individually or collectively, the ability of immediate execution of such threat or threats, where the performance of the threatened act or acts of violence would constitute a clear and present danger of, or would result in, damage or injury to the property of any other person or to the person of any other individual.
Riot control and laws section, England and Wales penalty clause
A person convicted of riot is liable to imprisonment for any term not exceeding ten years, or to a fine, or to both.
Effects section
During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, 2,383 people were injured, more than 12,000 were arrested, 55 people were killed and over 700 businesses burned.
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