He takes no responsibility for his bloodshed: The defendant who attacked a judge in Las Vegas by jumping over her podium in the middle of a hearing refused to appear in court to answer for his attack, according to American media on Thursday responsible.
• Also read: ON VIDEO | An American judge is attacked by a defendant in the plenary session
Deobra Redden rushed to Judge Mary Kay Holthus on Wednesday when it became clear to him that she was preparing to send him to prison on assault and battery charges.
The incident, filmed by court cameras, quickly went viral on social media.
We see the 30-year-old man lunge at the judge during a scuffle in which blows rain down, before being painfully controlled by security officers and court staff.
A few moments earlier, his lawyer had requested a suspended sentence.
“I understand, but I think it's time for him to try something different,” the judge replied, pointing to his criminal record – he had already been convicted, particularly for domestic violence.
A decision to which Mr. Redden immediately responded with insults and his sudden attack.
After the events, the defendant had to appear on Thursday on charges of assaulting a public official. However, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, he refused to leave his cell.
According to local television KSNV, a new hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
The slightly injured judge was not taken to hospital. An injured agent was “transported to a hospital” and is now in “stable condition,” a spokeswoman for the Clark County courthouse in Nevada (West) told AFP on Wednesday.
Attacks on judges in the middle of the courtroom are rare in the United States. On the other hand, threats against judges have increased in recent years.
In 2022, the US Marshals Service, the police force responsible for protecting federal judges, recorded 1,362 cases of threats or potential threats against them, compared to 926 in 2015.
Threats against judges peaked in 2021, with 4,511 recorded incidents of this type.