Hmm, this case is pretty interesting: https://www.yahoo.com/news/father-caught-camera-pummeling-man-164022384.html
What I find interesting is the guy who used his fist is getting a misdemeanor, while the guy who threw the soda can is getting charged with a felony.
In spite of what many people believe from bad spy movies, a bare fist is never considered a dangerous weapon (no one has their fists registered with the FBI). Punching someone with your bare fist is Assault & Battery (A&B), which is almost always a misdemeanor, but throwing & hitting someone with any object capable of doing harm (such as a full soda can) constitutes A&B With a Dangerous Weapon, which is almost always a felony. Some of the terminology is different between states, but that's it in a nutshell. Now, if someone uses their bare fists to beat someone severely to the point they have serious injuries, that's Aggravated A&B, which is almost always a felony.