He does not take responsibility for his bloodshed: the defendant who attacked a Las Vegas judge in the middle of a hearing, by jumping over her platform, refused to appear in court on Thursday to answer for his attack, according to American media . Deobra Redden rushed to Judge Mary Kay Holthus on Wednesday when he realized she was preparing to send him to prison for an assault and battery case.
The judge was not hospitalized, an agent is now in “stable” condition
The incident, filmed by court cameras, quickly went viral on social media. We see the 30-year-old man throwing himself at the magistrate, before being painfully controlled by security agents and court staff, during a melee where blows rained down. A few moments earlier, his lawyer had requested a suspended sentence with probation. “I understand, but I think it is time for him to taste something else,” retorted the judge, citing his criminal record – he had already been the subject of convictions, notably for domestic violence.
A decision to which Deobra Redden immediately reacted with insults and her sudden attack. After the events, the defendant was to appear on Thursday for assault on a person holding public authority. But he refused to come out of his cell, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. A new hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, according to local television KSNV. Slightly injured, the judge was not hospitalized. An injured agent was “transported to hospital” and his condition is now “stable”, a spokeswoman for the Clark County court in Nevada (west) told AFP on Wednesday.
Attacks on judges in the middle of a courtroom are rather rare in the United States. On the other hand, threats against magistrates have increased in recent years. In 2022, the US Marshals Service, the police responsible for protecting federal judges, recorded 1,362 cases of threats or potential threats against them, compared to 926 in 2015. Threats against judges reached their peak in 2021, with 4,511 events of this type recorded.