LAS VEGAS: A defendant in a felony battery case attacked a Nevada judge on Jan 3. He leaped over a defence table and the judge’s bench, landing on top of her, sparking a brawl with court officials and attorneys, officials and witnesses said.
The violent scene was captured by courtroom video. Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus fell back and suffered some injuries but was not hospitalized, courthouse officials said.
A courtroom marshal was also injured as he came to the judge’s aid and was hospitalized for treatment of a bleeding gash on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder, according to the officials and witnesses.
The attack happened at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas around 11am.
The defendant, Deobra Delone Redden, 30, was wrestled to the floor behind the judge’s bench by several court and jail officers and courtroom staff members – including some who are seen throwing punches.
He was arrested and jailed at the Clark County Detention Center, facing multiple new felony charges including battery on a protected person – referring to the judge and court officers.
Richard Scow, the chief county district attorney who prosecuted Redden, said, “It happened so fast it was hard to know what to do.” The defendant’s defense attorney, Caesar Almase, did not respond to later messages seeking comment.
Redden was not in custody when he arrived at court. He asked the judge for leniency, stating that he “never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is” and declaring, “I’m not a rebellious person.”
As the judge made it clear she intended to put him behind bars, and the court marshal moved to handcuff him, Redden yelled expletives and charged forward – amid screams from people who had been sitting with Redden in the courtroom audience.
Records showed that Redden was evaluated and found mentally competent to stand trial before pleading guilty in November to a reduced charge of attempted battery causing substantial bodily harm. He previously served prison time in Nevada on a domestic battery conviction, state records show.
Holthus, a career prosecutor with more than 27 years of courthouse experience, was elected to the state court bench in 2018 and again in 2022.
In a statement, court spokesperson Mary Ann Price said officials were “reviewing all our protocols and will do whatever is necessary to protect the judiciary, the public and our employees”. – AP
