A man newly convicted of domestic battery is now facing additional felony charges after he attacked a Nevada judge who denied him probation during his sentencing on Wednesday. According to The Associated Press, the violent incident, which was captured by courtroom video, shows Deobra Delone Redden lunging at Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus after leaping over a defense table.
A brawl subsequently ensued before Redden was subdued. The attack caused Holthus to fall from her seat. Courtside officials said she also sustained injuries but did not need to be admitted to the hospital.
However, a courtroom marshall who intervened was hospitalized after he suffered a dislocated shoulder and cut on his forehead, officials and witnesses told the news outlet.
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Redden was not being held when he appeared before the court on Wednesday. He was, however, arrested and taken into custody after he attacked the judge. The 30-year-old now faces a slew of felony charges including battery on a protected person.
Redden’s domestic battery case stemmed from him allegedly attacking someone with a baseball bat in 2023, The Associated Press reported. The prosecutor who handled that case was Chief County District Attorney Richard Scow.
“It happened so fast it was hard to know what to do,” Scow, who witnessed the incident, said.
Before the attack, Redden had pleaded with the judge to hand him a lighter sentence. The 30-year-old also said he was “a person who never stops trying to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.”
“I’m not a rebellious person,” Redden informed the judge before saying he doesn’t feel he deserves a prison sentence. “But if it’s appropriate for you then you have to do what you have to do.”
The judge, however, made him know she was going to sentence him to prison, causing the court marshal to begin the process of handcuffing him. But Redden started hurling expletives before lunging at the judge. The incident caused a melee and several people in the court were heard screaming.
Responding to the incident in a statement, court spokesperson Mary Ann Price said authorities were “reviewing all our protocols and will do whatever is necessary to protect the judiciary, the public and our employees.”
State records indicate that Redden was initially convicted of domestic battery.
A man attacked a Las Vegas judge in her courtroom during his sentencing. The judge is reportedly OK. https://t.co/M1eA1VwOlPpic.twitter.com/HmdVpYpAhe
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 3, 2024
