Which offense is defined as a gathering of three or more people for the purpose of doing an unlawful act or for the purpose of doing a lawful act in a violent, boisterous, or tumultuous manner?

• A. Unlawful Assembly
• B. Riot
• C. Inciting a Riot
• D. Public Intoxication

Answer: (A)

Unlawful assembly focuses on the act of gathering itself with a specific intent: three or more people coming together to do an unlawful act, or to do a lawful act in a violent, boisterous, or tumultuous manner. That combination of minimum group size and intended conduct fits the described scenario, making the gathering itself the offense rather than requiring actual violence or property damage to occur.

If the group actually starts causing violence and a public disturbance, the situation can escalate to riot, but the initial offense is the unlawful assembly. Inciting a riot involves urging others to riot, which is about persuasion rather than the act of gathering with a stated intent. Public intoxication is unrelated to forming a group for a stated purpose.