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HOUSTON – A suspect successful a transgression fraud lawsuit punched and attacked a bailiff, authoritative and justice aft helium was denied enslaved Tuesday astatine a tribunal proceeding successful Houston, witnesses said.

Joseph Catarineau, 58, was making a regular quality earlier authorities District Judge Danny Lacayo erstwhile the justice asked if the suspect needed an attorney, witnesses told the Houston Chronicle.

When Catarineau addressed him disrespectfully, Lacayo denied him enslaved and directed a bailiff to instrumentality him into custody, said Daniel Glasscock, who was waiting to look successful different case.

When the bailiff tried to instrumentality him into custody, Catarineau grabbed the bailiff’s hair, took her to the crushed and began punching her, according to authoritative Jacob Salinas.

“He was conscionable wailing connected her, truthful I tried to leap in,” Salinas said. Lacayo came down from the seat to assistance Salinas, and some traded punches with Catarineau, helium said.

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“The bottommost enactment is that I’m not going to fto a lawman get bushed up successful beforehand of me,” Lacayo said.

As Salinas, a erstwhile assemblage shot lineman, and Lacayo subdued the man, the bailiff retrieved the stun weapon Catarineau had knocked from her manus and changeable the man, giving each 3 men a jolt, Salinas said.

Catarineau had been charged successful 2018 with submitting mendacious fiscal statements that helium had worked for American Airlines and Envoy Air and was owed wealth by the 2 companies. Court records amusement that Catarineau’s lawyer asked the justice to retreat from the lawsuit connected Dec. 13.

Catarineau had worked arsenic a aviator for Envoy Air until helium was fired successful 2017 for “erratic behavior," according to tribunal records. He proclaimed himself a “sovereign citizen" who did not person to wage national income tax. The sovereign national question has an extremist pursuing that believes itself exempt from astir national and authorities laws and has been linked to violence.

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He present apt faces 3 counts of battle connected a nationalist servant, said elder Harris County authoritative Sean Teare.

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