An inmate punched out a female public defender in a brutal courtroom assault that was caught on camera. Assistant public defender Julie Chase was appearing before Judge Jackie Powell when the assault occurred Wednesday morning.
Cameras in the courtroom shows inmates waiting for their names to be called during a Broward County bond hearing. One inmate, William Green, rose up out of his seat and punched Chase in the head.
A female defendant who was standing at the podium with Chase was not injured.
Court officers immediately rushed Williams and tackled him to the floor, while shocked inmates looked on.
Judge Powell glanced up from her papers and asked, “What happened?”
Chase, who was knocked to the floor by the punch, was rushed to a hospital.
The other inmates stepped aside as two male and two female officers rushed Green from the room.
The assault appears to be random. Green is undergoing a psychiatric examination.
