Rarely Used Courtroom Maneuver Is a Big Flop

As escape attempts go, Glendale lawyer J. Bruce Johnson’s bolt for freedom Wednesday isn’t likely to make much of an impression on history.

But it certainly enlivened Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Boland’s courtroom.

One minute, those in the courtroom were quietly watching a seemingly routine proceeding: Boland sentenced Johnson to three years in prison for defrauding the Southern California Rapid Transit District of $62,000 in bogus insurance claims.

An instant later, the 41-year-old Johnson had pushed aside bailiff Eddie Castro and was making a break for the low, swinging gate that separates the courtroom spectators from the court staff and lawyers.

With Castro clinging to his arm, Johnson vainly tried to get through the gate. Two senior district attorney investigators and an RTD police officer jumped into the fray, wrestling Johnson to the ground and helping handcuff him.

Paul Fitzgerald of Beverly Hills, Johnson’s attorney, said his client was suffering from emotional problems and has been under the care of a psychiatrist.

Fitzgerald said Johnson had received death threats when he was in Los Angeles County Jail last summer and did not want to go back. Boland had denied a request that Johnson be allowed to report directly to the state prison at Chino.

Johnson, who also is a part-time taxicab driver, had been free on $100,000 bail pending his sentencing. He is one of five people charged in the ongoing insurance fraud investigation.

During Johnson’s brief battle for freedom, the table where prosecuting and defense lawyers sit was knocked over. Judge Boland stayed on the bench, pushing an emergency button to summon more bailiffs until, he said, the still-struggling Johnson turned in his direction. At that point, Boland said, “I decided it was best to leave the bench” and he quietly retreated to a rear hallway until things were back under control.

No one was injured.

Tom Fillmore, a senior investigator for the district attorney’s office, said he has seen a lot in 11 years of working fraud cases. But, he added, this was “the first time I’ve seen a defendant do this.”