I would look at smaller startups that might make it easy to just escalate to the CEO if you have a good explanation, rather than having an HR department stop you right away.
EDIT: I thought assault meant physical violence, but not harm while battery meant harm. I was wrong I guess?
Physical violence is battery.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/assault_and_battery
"Assault refers to the wrong act of causing someone to reasonably fear imminent harm. This means that the fear must be something a reasonable person would foresee as threatening to them. Battery refers to the actual wrong act of physically harming someone."