Jaw-dropping video captured the violent rampage of a gas-masked man who charged into a Massachusetts courthouse, savagely attacking and pepper spraying several people inside.
The dramatic incident unfolded when a frightening figure, sporting a gas mask, a helmet, tactical boots and sunglasses, busted into Woburn District Court on Monday around 10:30 am.
Later identified as 28-year-old Nicholas Akerberg of Yarmouth Port, the culprit was seen on security footage charging toward the building’s entrance armed with pepper spray.
A guard frantically tried to shut the door to prevent him from getting inside, but her efforts were unsuccessful.
Akerberg pried open the door and shoved passed the guard, who was trying to stop him, attacking her with the pepper spray along the way.
He sprinted through the lobby full of baffled and terrified court-goers and employees as the guard tried chasing him down.
The guard managed to briefly tackle him onto a bench, right near where two visibly unsettled women were sitting during the chaotic ordeal.
Several other people inside the building stepped in to try to stop this unexplained attack.
Jaw-dropping video captured the violent rampage of a gas-masked man who charged into a Massachusetts courthouse
A guard frantically tried to shut the door to prevent him from getting inside the building, but her efforts were unsuccessful
Akerberg had blasted pepper spray at multiple court officers, a police officer and an assistant district attorney, according to a statement from the Middlesex district attorney’s office.
After his relentless episode of pepper spraying, punching and kicking, he was finally thrown to the ground by police officers who piled on top of him, Tased him and arrested him.
Akerberg, a police officer and two court officers were transported to a hospital and later released.
Courtroom proceedings were delayed several hours as a result of the incident.
Akerberg appeared in court later that day, showing hardly any emotion as he blankly stared – now wearing blue jail attire instead of his tactical gear.
The courthouse-tormenter was charged with six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and several other charges, according to the district attorney’s office.
An investigation later revealed Akerberg had eight canisters of pepper spray and two smoke canisters on him.
‘The rule of law is not just a fancy, academic concept, it is the foundation of democracy,’ Marian Ryan, Middlesex District Attorney told NBC on Tuesday.
Nicholas Akerberg, 28, of Yarmouth Port (pictured in court) faces multiple charges in connection to the shocking attack
Akerberg had blasted pepper spray at multiple court officers, a police officer and an assistant district attorney
‘Anyone who is desecrating those scared spaces is going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
Ryan added that this situation was somewhat of a wake-up call for courthouse security measures.
Police and the district attorney’s office didn´t respond to email messages seeking information about a lawyer for Akerberg.
Akerberg was ordered held at his arraignment, and his bail was revoked. He is set to have a competency evaluation and is due back in court on May 2.
This shocking ambush comes about two months after a melee broke out in a New Mexico courtroom after relatives of a murdered woman lunged at her accused killer.
The violence erupted when Carlos Lucero, 40, and Pete Ysasi, 51, leaped over a barrier at Bernalillo County District Court and charged at murder suspect Alexander Segura Ortiz, 21, during a February hearing.
Security cameras captured the calamity, starting with the dramatic moment Lucero sprinted towards Ortiz while a police officer tried to protect the the alleged murder.
As Lucero, Ortiz and the officer all toppled over onto the ground, Ysasi walked over and joined in on the attack.
After his relentless episode of pepper spraying, punching and kicking, he was finally thrown to the ground by police officers who piled on top of him, Tased him arrested him
Other family members and cops rushed to try and diffuse the altercation, which only escalated from there.
Eventually, everyone dispersed when the officer pulled out a gun. But just as the brawl seemed to come to an end, Ortiz’s father gave Ysasi a final kick in the face.
Lucero and Ysasi were arrested from the courtroom and charged with battery on a peace officer and assault on a jail. They were both later released on their own recognizance.
