Footage of an Arizona man attacking his lawyer in court made the rounds online this week, and it was revealed that he was on trial for attacking a Maricopa County corrections officer at the Fourth Avenue Jail.
The suspect, identified as Lamont Payne, has a long history of assaults, including the 2016 incident he was on trial for. Court documents state that Payne bit a corrections officer on the leg, causing a laceration, after he entered his cell to remove him for a disturbance.
Payne also reportedly has a history of firing his attorneys and being disruptive in court. He could be seen in court footage getting annoyed with his attorney, Vladimir Gagic, for ignoring him during the trial. The judge warned Payne that he would be removed from the courtroom after he repeatedly tried to get Gagic's attention by knocking on the desk and waving his hand at the judge.
After the judge asked deputies to remove Payne from the courtroom, he punched Gagic in the mouth. According to reports, Gagic was removed from the case, which Maricopa County officials addressed in a statement to a local ABC station.
The statement reads, "A contract might be placed on temporary hold if there are complaints from clients or family members, the attorney provides poor representation, or they are carrying too many cases. Mr. Gagic's contract was placed on temporary hold after multiple complaints about his lack of communication with clients, another attorney, and PDS."
Source: ABC 15
