The man who brazenly attacked a Las Vegas judge after leaping over the bench and slamming her into a wall told corrections officers he had a bad day and tried to kill her, a police document shows.
Court cameras showed the moment Deobra Redden, 30, appeared to “Superman” over the bench during a hearing Wednesday and pushed Clark County District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus against a wall. A brawl between him and court officials ensued, and three people were injured.
Holthus was preparing to sentence Redden on a charge of attempted battery with substantial bodily harm when he rocketed across the room.
After the attack, Redden told a marshal the “judge has it out for me” and “judge is evil,” according to a declaration of arrest report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
The marshal said he also apologized saying, “I’m sorry you guys had to see that,” the document said.
In the melee, Redden slammed Holthus’ head against the wall, struck her once on the head and pulled out some of her hair, the document said. After the attack, one witness said the judge hid under her desk, “balled up covering her face,” the police document said.
Holthus, who was back in court Thursday, was treated in the justice center and later brought to a hospital by a family member for her pain. She said Redden was “big, strong and angry,” according to the document.
The document said Holthus’ marshal in the court room, Shane Brandon, was preparing to handcuff Redden when he vaulted across the room. He tripped while trying to apprehend Redden, dislocated his shoulder and received 25 stitches to a gash on his face.
Redden also punched a corrections officer in the courtroom, and Holthus’ law clerk, Michael Lasso, was cut several times on his hand, the document said.
Redden was eventually taken into custody. Later, while he was being searched, he uttered that he had a bad day and tried to kill the judge, the document said.
The incident left the courtroom a wreck, with blood splattered on court documents, Holthus’ desk, the wall and the floor near the witness stand, according to the police report.
Holthus said in a statement Thursday: “I would like to thank all the well-wishers and others who have expressed concerned for me and my staff. I am extremely grateful to those who took brave action during the attack.”
Redden is due back in court next week to be sentenced for the original case. He will be charged with multiple counts of battery in the attack.
