Judge Says Court Workers Are ‘Scared to Death’ After Gun Is Fired in Scuffle
At least one shot was fired Thursday when a courtroom security guard in Union Gap, Wash., scuffled with a shoplifting defendant who tried to escape.
The incident began when the defendant, Michael Garza, learned he was being taken into custody, the Yakima Herald-Republic reports. The security guard intervened when Garza tried to flee, leading to “a protracted and increasingly desperate fight” that took place in the courtroom lobby and women’s restroom, where the guard’s gun discharged, the story says. No one was shot.
The municipal judge overseeing Garza’s case, Bob Northcott, said four defendants have tried to escape since he began the job in January, and more security is needed. Only one security guard is stationed at the court, and there is no security checkpoint.
“I’ve got two clerks, there’s a prosecutor and public defender and an interpreter,” Northcott told the newspaper. “They’re all scared to death right now.”