Judge Jumps Over Bench In Courtroom Melee

Authorities say a Broward judge jumped over his bench to help a witness who was being attacked.

The Broward Sheriff's Office reports that Circuit Court Judge Ian Richards had just ordered 29-year-old John Charles Reasee to be held on a domestic violence charge Tuesday when Reasee ran around his attorney and attacked a woman who had testified against him. She had filed the abuse charges and was seeking a restraining order.

The sheriff's office says Reasee chased the woman toward the judge's bench and began hitting her.

That's when Richards got up, climbed over the bench and jumped on Reasee. A bailiff and two Lauderhill police officers joined the fray and eventually got Reasee under control.

Reasee now faces new charges of resisting arrest and domestic battery. He remains in jail without bail set.

This surveillance video was provided by the Broward County Court system: