Hang on, what's the different between "insult" and "verbally assault"?
Assault is defined by law as any action, verbal, physical, or otherwise made toward a person, but they must perceive physical harm.
Like holding a fist up and pretending I was going to punch you, that could be assault if you actually thought I was going to harm you. But, it is not assault if you don't perceive that I am going to hurt you.
Example:
You yell, at a cop, "hey cocksucker, you are a douche." Not a crime.
But, if you yell, "hey cocksucker, ever seen what a baseball bat can do."
That could be and probably would be assault.
They talk about assault and battery a lot, and the "battery" part would actually physical harm.