BALTIMORE — A fight during a murder trial in Baltimore.
Three men were taken into custody after an attack in a Baltimore courtroom Tuesday.
It happened around 11:30 a.m., at the Clarence M. Mitchell Courthouse in downtown Baltimore while the Assistant State's Attorney was showing video evidence during the murder trial of Joseph Walker.
Walker was arrested in April of 2024 for the murder of 26-year-old Marvin Jackson in the 1800 block of Aiken Street back in December 2023.
The video allegedly showed Walker shooting Jackson. It was then that three men, 23-year-old Marlon Jackson, 25-year-old Marquis Jackson, and 47-year-old Marvin Jackson, stood up in the courtroom and rushed the table where Walker was sitting.
A deputy sheriff and two correctional officers engaged in a physical fight with the three men while the judge and jury quickly left the room.
The men were eventually stopped when officers used a chemical spray in the courtroom.
“I commend the quick response of the deputy sheriff and the correctional officers, who acted decisively and used minimal force to prevent the defendant from being seriously harmed,” said Sheriff Sam Cogen.
“No one is permitted to take the law into their own hands or disrupt a court proceeding. While we understand the pain of losing a loved one to violence, the actions of these family members were unacceptable. Not only did their outburst have the potential to cause a mistrial in a case intended to deliver justice, but they now face serious charges that could result in significant jail time. No one wins in this situation, because there is a delay in justice.”
Everything in the murder trial stopped with the outburst, and the trial is set to continue Wednesday, July 23.
