Judge Tackles Unruly Man Who Jumped Up on the Bench
A Honolulu judge tackled a man who caused a ruckus in his courtroom on Monday, according to bystanders and a police spokeswoman.
Judge Lono Lee acted after the man entered Lee’s courtroom, jumped on the bench and broke a flagpole, according to Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Toni Schwartz. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (sub. req.), the Associated Press and KHON2.com have stories.
Lee put the man in a chokehold and took him down to the ground, deputy prosecutor Rafael Renteria told KHON2. The suspect, 55-year-old Steven Michael Hauge, was charged with disorderly conduct, obstruction of government operations and criminal damage to property, AP says.
Renteria and another prosecutor helped the judge hold Hauge until deputies arrived. The suspect was yelling about the state murdering someone, Renteria said.
