Friend of mine had a small secondhand clothing shop next to a planned parenthood, and got peeved at the asshats protesting and decided to pressure wash the sidewalk in front of her store. All she did was blast the pavement with water, got the feet and ankles of the protesters wet - cops didn’t do anything, she was aiming it at the sidewalk. No chemicals involved other than water. Probably if there had been soap or some other chemical in the liquid used it would have been battery.
When David Letterman sprayed Richard Simmons with a fire extinguisher an ambulance was involved.
The OP was certainly referencing Young Sheldon episode 6.8, and I was wondering the same thing; I was aghast they actually showed that since it is indeed an assault. Then I remembered it was set about 1990 when times were slightly different. Also, it’s not a documentary.
Nothing “evolving” or “modern” about this; assault has meant an unlawful attack upon the person of another since about the fifteenth century, and can consist of menacing words or actions without any physical contact at all. If there’s physical contact it become battery as well as assault.
Turning a hose or fire extinguisher on somebody with hostile intent can be an assault (and battery), no question. The issue here is not whether the business owner could be charged with assault, but whether he would have any justification or defence to offer, if charged.
Yes, that’s been the definition in Canada’s Criminal Code since forever: