Watch Suspect Punch His Lawyer In The Face During Trial!
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A man with an extensive history of violence and unruly behavior was caught on camera punching his own defense attorney in the face while they were inside a courtroom.
Suspect Lamont Payne has a history of disobedience and criminal activities and has recently appeared in the court after being accused of attacking a corrections officer at the prison where he’s staying.
During the trial, Payne grew agitated and punched his lawyer, Vladimir Gagic, in the face. Mr. Gagic was assigned the case because of his position as a Maricopa county Public Defense Services contract attorney.
“I’ve been doing this for over 20 years now, and never once did it cross my mind, not even an iota of concern there that something like this could happen to me,” he expressed.
In the footage, Gagic appeared to have been ignoring Payne while sitting at his table and listening to the judge. In an attempt to speak his mind, Payne lifted his hand only for the judge to issue a warning.
After the warning, Payne continued to talk, prompting the judge to have him removed from the courtroom. When Payne stood up and began picking up his papers, he suddenly launched his fist at Gagic’s face.
“The first thing, literally the first thing I know is oh it’s salty. I could literally taste his knuckles, then I got up and checked my teeth,” the lawyer said.
However, that wasn’t the end of the story. As the attorney revealed in an interview with ABC15, he got suspended following the incident.
“I find out a couple of months later, a month later that they suspended me from the contract. They never told me why; it’s because they’re cowards,” he said.
As he added, the Maricopa County also asked him to pay back the $1,000 he was paid for representing Payne because their cooperation ended early.
In an attempt to find out why Gagic got suspended, ABC15 reached out to the officials who provided the following statement:
“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.”
Following the statement, Gagic expressed he doesn’t believe in the explanation provided and expressed that he would sue the county in question.
“What message are they giving to all the attorneys? That we are disposable, even less than disposable to that office,” he said.
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