DETROIT – A 41-year-old attorney is facing charges for getting into an argument with a Roseville police officer in a courtroom and repeatedly punching him in the face, authorities said.
Chief James Berlin said the officer and attorney Nijad Georges Mehanna were in 39th District court on Wednesday for a drug case.
Berlin said words were exchanged between the two, and then it got physical.
“Apparently the attorney wasn’t happy with all of the outcomes. He was trying to get into a restricted area of the courtroom where the judge was because he wanted to talk to the judge again. In his haste to get in there, he pushed one of our officers, and when the officer didn’t move out of his way, he just wound up and slugged him in the mouth," Berlin said. “He just started throwing blows until he was restrained.”
Berlin said the officer suffered a swollen lip, some loose teeth and a bloody nose.
Berlin said the officer and the attorney had not met before.
“There’s no prior cases, prior animosities, no hostility from any prior dealings. He was taken aback. In court, this does not happen. To be slugged by an attorney, it just does not happen," Berlin said.
Mehanna is charged with misdemeanor assault and battery and felony assault of a police officer. He was arraigned Thursday and bond was set at $10,000, or 10 percent.