Judge Subdues Man After Gun Is Pulled on Lawyer
A man who allegedly held a gun to an attorney’s head was subdued by a 62-year-old judge at a Workers Compensation Appeal Board hearing, authorities said Wednesday. Mulji Patel, 53, was charged with false imprisonment and a felony count of bringing a weapon into a courtroom.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Debra Starr said that Patel, a former employee of Rockwell Corp., arrived for a hearing before Appeal Board Judge Charles Gordon at the State Office Building in downtown Los Angeles on Monday.
Before the hearing could begin, Patel pulled a .22-caliber pistol and held it to the head of Rockwell attorney Lynn Peterson, according to Starr. The judge, summoned by Peterson’s screams, rushed in and helped the attorney wrestle the gun out of Patel’s hand, Starr said. After the incident, authorities found that Patel’s gun was not loaded, she said. Patel was being held on $15,000 bail.
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