DA unbuttons suit jacket, then brings down suspect fleeing courthouse
A suspect fleeing down the hallway of an Oklahoma courthouse last week was no match for the local district attorney and at least one fellow lawyer.
Oklahoma County DA David Prater coolly unbuttoned his suit jacket, a security video shows, before grabbing Israel Pointer by the leg and holding on. With the help of nearby attorneys, he brought the hopping man down, KOCO reports.
“You know, working in this courthouse is like being in the wild west,” the DA, who once worked as a police officer, told KWTV. “You just never know what is going to happen.”
Told that his bond was being revoked because he had missed a court call for his trial in an armed robbery case, Pointer, 19, bolted from a courtroom. He twice escaped deputies who almost had him cornered, then ran toward the DA and criminal defense attorney Richard Anderson, the station recounts.
“I said, ‘hey, stop! Don’t do this,’” Prater said. “But he didn’t even give me a chance really, and he was trying to get away.”
No one, including Pointer, was injured in the pileup, Prater said.
Pointer is now being held without bond, and a court hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. It is unclear whether he will face additional charges as a result of the courthouse incident.
The incident is not the first time Prater has subdued a suspect in court: In 2011, Prater was attacked in the courtroom by a defendant and fought back.
