Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog

A judge rushed to the defense of a victim when her alleged abuser attacked her in court Tuesday.

Broward County Circuit Court Judge Ian Richards helped officials restrain a man after he attacked a woman who testified against him.

John Reasse chased the victim, Nicole Ward, toward the judge’s bench and began to punch her several times after bailiffs removed his handcuffs.

Ward, who already has a restraining order against Reasse, was in court trying to receive an injunction.

Reasse, who was charged with domestic violence, now faces new charges of resisting arrest and domestic battery.

Jackson Memorial Hospital officials have not yet released the condition of a would-be robber who was shot by an off-duty officer on South Beach late Monday.

According to Miami Beach Police, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy discharged his firearm at the suspect in the area of a lifeguard stand along Ocean Drive and Eighth Street around 10 p.m.

Miami Beach Fire Rescue transported the man on a trauma alert

Police have arrested four people after a fight broke out at Charles Drew Middle School, which included two adults who were not even enrolled at the school.

A Miami-Dade School Board Police Officer tried breaking up the fight just before noon Monday, which had escalated when family members were called to the school to see the principal after two students had an argument.

Police explained that as some of the family met with the principal, two young men, ages 21 and 19, stalked the halls searching for the boy who had fought with their relative. “Some of the family members took upon themselves to go look for the other students that were involved,” said Sergeant Ivan Silva.

The officer who initially responded to the scene wound up getting pushed, but she is expected to be fine.

Parents arrived on the scene soon after reports of the fight went out. They voiced their concerns over the disruption at the scene, noting that FCAT testing for the D-rated school begins the following day, and students preparing for the test have had their studying disturbed by the fight.

After the arrests, police stayed at the scene to investigate.

Authorities say a man wanted for murder was shot and killed by Miami-Dade police officers after he barricaded himself in an attic.

According to a Miami-Dade Police Department press release, 30-year-old Anthony Levy was shot Monday evening as officers tried to arrest him at a home in the 300 block of Northwest 192nd Street. Officers say Levy “armed himself with a weapon,” the though it wasn’t clear what type of weapon he had.

Levy had an arrest warrant for murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. He also was wanted by Miami-Dade School Board police for aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm on school property.