A defendant argued before a Nevada court that he was recovering well enough to avoid jail time for a felony violence charge. But his sentencing took a tragic turn when he jumped over a table and the judge’s bench, landing on top of her. It sparked a violent altercation with court officials and attorneys, leading to a bloody brawl.
Video shows Judge Mary Kay Holthus of the Clark County District Court leaning back against the wall in her chair before the incident. The defendant threw himself over the bench and grabbed her hair as an American flag fell on top of them.
Courthouse authorities said that the judge was not hospitalized but suffering minor injuries.
Deobra Delone Redden, already in prison on a $54,000 bond, failed to attend his Thursday court hearing, so the judge postponed it for January 9.
Coercion With Force and Extortion are among the thirteen charges against 30-year-old Redden. Seven of the additional charges pertain to assault on a protected person, which includes the judge and the police who responded.
Court and prison personnel dragged Redden away from the judge. A dislocated shoulder and a gushing cut on the forehead sent one courtroom marshal to the hospital.
Local reports show Redden had already pleaded guilty last November to an attempted violence charge from 2023, and on January 3, as he was due to be sentenced, he charged the judge. As a result, a penalty was imposed.
He wore an orange pair of gloves and a spit mask obscuring half his face. Prison officers stood on each side of him.
Depending on his actions inside bars and the choices of a parole board, Redden was sentenced to 19 months to a maximum of four years.
The court hearing on Monday was relatively quick, and neither Redden nor his attorney, Caesar Almase, were invited to speak.
Regarding fifteen more misdemeanor and felony counts connected to the courtroom assault, Redden was scheduled to appear before an alternative judge on January 11. A conviction could land him in jail for decades.
