Moments after a defendant in a felony battery case tried to convince a Nevada judge that he was turning his violent past around and didn’t need to be locked up, his sentencing went sideways: He leaped over a defense table and the judge’s bench, landing atop her and sparking a bloody brawl with court officials and attorneys,
AP reports.
The violent scene on Wednesday was captured by courtroom video showing Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus falling back from her seat against a wall as the defendant flung himself over the judge’s bench and grabbed her hair, toppling an American flag onto them. The judge suffered some injuries but was not hospitalized, courthouse officials said.
The defendant, Deobra Delone Redden, was jailed on $54,000 bail and refused to return to court on Thursday on new charges, so a judge rescheduled his next appearance for Jan. 9. Redden, 30, faces 13 counts including extortion and coercion with force. Seven of the new counts are battery on a protected person, referring to the judge and officers who came to her aid.
Redden had to be wrestled off the judge Wednesday by several court and jail officers and courtroom staff members — including some who were seen throwing punches. One courtroom marshal was hospitalized for treatment of a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder.
