Defendant Attacks Judge In Courtroom, Sparks Brawl
A defendant in a felony battery case assaulted a judge in a Las Vegas courtroom on Wednesday, triggering a violent scuffle that left the judge and a court marshal injured, authorities and witnesses said.
The incident, which was caught on courtroom video, happened around 11 a.m. at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, when Deobra Delone Redden, 30, leaped over a defense table and the judge’s bench and landed on top of Clark County District Judge Mary Kay Holthus.
Holthus, who had just denied Redden’s request for leniency and was about to sentence him to prison, fell back against a wall and sustained some injuries, but did not require hospitalization, courthouse officials said.
A court marshal, who rushed to help the judge, was also hurt in the melee and was taken to a hospital for treatment of a cut on his forehead and a dislocated shoulder, according to the officials and witnesses.
Redden, who had pleaded guilty to attempted battery causing substantial bodily harm for attacking a person with a baseball bat last year, was subdued by several court and jail officers and courtroom staff members, some of whom were seen throwing punches at him.
He was arrested and booked at the Clark County Detention Center, where he faces multiple new felony charges, including battery on a protected person, referring to the judge and court officers.
“It happened so fast it was hard to know what to do,” said Richard Scow, the chief county district attorney who prosecuted Redden.
Redden’s defense attorney, Caesar Almase, did not respond to requests for comment.
Records showed that Redden, a Las Vegas resident, had been evaluated and found mentally competent to stand trial before entering his guilty plea in November. He had also served prison time in Nevada on a domestic battery conviction, state records show.
Holthus, a former prosecutor with more than 27 years of courthouse experience, was elected to the state court bench in 2018 and again in 2022.
In a statement, court spokesperson Mary Ann Price said officials were “reviewing all our protocols and will do whatever is necessary to protect the judiciary, the public and our employees.”
