A shackled inmate ran into a podium inside a Florida courtroom as he tried to spit at a judge and rushed the bench before he was tackled by a team of security guards, according to video of the goofy tantrum.
Evan Paul McCulloch, 46, already had such a history making “threats against judges” that he was classified as a special status inmate, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. But that didn’t stop him from coming within mere inches of the judge presiding over his hearing on Wednesday.
In the wild video, McCulloch shuffles into the courtroom, shackled at his wrists, ankles, and stomach. He stands at the podium for a few seconds before he is seen tryin gto spit at Judge William L. Roby.
McCulloch then barrels into the podium and tries to lunge over the bench, the video shows.
A staggering six deputies rush McCulloch and pin him to the ground to subdue him in the video.
All the while, two other jumpsuit-clad inmates watch on from the gallery, not even batting an eye as the deputies tackle McCulloch, the video shows.
In the chaos, the suspect somehow managed to successfully spit on Roby, WPEC reported.
Still Roby appeared to hardly react and carried on with the rest of his cases as planned once McCulloch was hauled out of the courtroom.
McCulloch has been in and out of Martin County Jail since 2023. He has some outstanding trials, but has repeatedly been deemed incompetent to stand due to his various mental illnesses. He finally cleared for transfer to a state hospital, but was to remain in custody while waiting for further evaluation.
While waiting in jail, McCulloch reportedly beat several deputies and caused repeated disruptions, the outlet reported.
McCulloch’s case was, unsurprisingly, shelved for the day after his bizarre stampede through the courtroom. The team of deputies safely restrained and removed him, and he’s expected to face additional felony charges and even prison time.
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