|
 Siale Angilau, 25, lunged at the witness wielding what appeared to
be a pen or pencil in his hand, prompting a federal officer in the
courtroom to open fire to halt the attack, according to Melodie
Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
It is routine practice for federal trial defendants to be
unrestrained when appearing before a jury, Rydalch said, and Angilau
was not handcuffed.
The FBI said Angilau, who was struck in the chest by the marshal's
gunfire, was still breathing when he was removed from the courtroom
by stretcher, but later died of his wounds at a local hospital.
By then, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell, who was presiding over
the case, had declared a mistrial, citing the prejudicial effect the
episode would have had on jurors who she said were left visibly
"shaken and upset."
No one else was injured in the incident, which occurred during the
opening day of testimony in the defendant's racketeering trial,
Rydalch said.
The identity of the witness attacked by the defendant was not
immediately available, but the judge described the individual as a
"cooperating witness."
FBI assistant special agent-in-charge for the agency's Utah office,
Mark Dressen, praised the response of federal marshals to the
attack.
[to top of second column] |
"The marshals did an exceptional job," Dressen said outside the
courthouse. "They stopped the threat to the witness. The courtroom
was fully secured at that time, and there's not additional threats
to the community."
Angilau was the last of several alleged members and associates of
the Tongan Crip Gang to stand trial on federal racketeering and
other charges. About a half dozen co-defendants were convicted in
2011 and one was acquitted, Rydalch said.
(Reporting by Peg McEntee in Salt Lake City;
additional reporting
and writing by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; editing by Cynthia
Johnston, Chizu Nomiyama and Mohammad Zargham)
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