A judge from Nevada, in USA, was attacked on Wednesday by an accused in a serious assault case. The man jumped onto a defense table and headed toward the judge’s position, landing on top of her and sparking a bloody fight involving court officials and attorneys, witnesses said.
The violent scene was captured on courtroom video. At the time of the attack, Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthusfell back from his seat and hit a wall. She suffered some injuriesbut she was not hospitalized, court officials said.
A court marshal was also injured when he came to the judge’s aid and was hospitalized for treatment for a bleeding cut on the forehead and a dislocated shoulderaccording to officials and witnesses.
The attack occurred around 11 a.m. in the Las Vegas Regional Justice Center.
The accused, Deobra Delone Redden30, was knocked down behind the judge’s bench by several court and prison officials, some of whom hit him.
He was arrested and imprisoned in Clark County Detention Centerwhere records show he faces multiple new felony charges, including assault on a protected personin reference to the judge and court officials.
“It happened so quickly that it was hard to know what to do,” said Richard Scow, the county’s chief district attorney who prosecuted redden in a case that arose from an arrest last year over allegations that this He attacked a person with a baseball bat.
The defense attorney for reddenCaesar Almase, did not respond to subsequent phone messages and emails seeking comment.
When he arrived at court on Wednesday, redden He wore a white shirt and dark pants and stood next to Almase. He asked the judge for leniency as he described himself as “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing, no matter how difficult it is.”
“I’m not a rebellious person,” he told the judge. He added that he doesn’t believe he should be sent to prison. “But if it’s appropriate for you, then you have to do what you have to do.”
When the judge made it clear that she intended to put him behind bars, and the court marshal prepared to handcuff him, Redden yelled profanities and charged forward.amid shouts from people who had been sitting near him in the courtroom audience.
Records showed that Redden, a resident of Las Vegas, was evaluated and found mentally competent to stand trial before pleading guilty in November to a reduced charge of attempted assault causing substantial bodily harm. Previously, he served time in prison in Snowfall for a domestic assault conviction, state records show.
Holthusa career prosecutor with more than 27 years of court experience, was elected to the state court in 2018 and again in 2022.
In a statement, court spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said officials were “reviewing all of our protocols and will do whatever is necessary to protect the judiciary, the public and our employees.”
