(HorizonPost.com) – A defendant in a Clark County, Nevada courtroom lunged over the bench and attacked the judge last Wednesday during his sentencing hearing, injuring the judge and a court marshal in the brawl that followed, CBS News reported.
The violent incident, which was captured on video conference footage and posted on social media, began around 11:00 a.m. on January 3. The defendant, 30-year-old Deobra Delone Reddon, leaped over the defense table and lunged at District Judge Mary Kay Holthus after she sentenced him to prison.
The judge fell back against the wall, suffering minor injuries. Several court and jail officers, along with some courtroom staff, wrestled the defendant to the floor. One court officer who came to the judge’s aid suffered a dislocated shoulder and a gash on his forehead. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Redden was placed into custody and taken to the Clark County Detention Center where he was charged with multiple felonies, including battery of a protected person.
Richard Scow, the prosecutor in Redden’s trial, said the incident happened so quickly, that “it was hard to know what to do.”
Redden was arrested for a 2023 incident in which he beat someone with a baseball bat. In November, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempted battery and was in court last Wednesday for sentencing.
During his sentencing hearing, Redden’s attorney Caesar Almase had asked Judge Holthus for leniency, arguing that his client was someone “who never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.”
In asking for probation, Redden told the judge that he was not a “rebellious person” and didn’t think he should receive prison time. Redden told Judge Holthus that if she thought prison was appropriate, then she should do what she had to.
Judge Holthus sentenced Redden to prison and as the marshal stepped in to handcuff him, the defendant shouted expletives and charged at the bench as those in the courtroom screamed in shock.
According to KLAS in Las Vegas, Redden underwent a mental evaluation before his trial and was found competent.
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