MEDFORD, Mass. — The surveillance video from Woburn District Court is jarring, and it is still sending a shock through the Massachusetts Court system.
A masked man, armed with pepper spray, bursts into the lobby where court officers and a police officer struggle to take him down, all of this just outside a courtroom.
Attorney Anthony Rozzi unexpectedly found himself in the middle of it all.
“I was coming up the stairs when all this was unfolding,” Rozzi told me.
And now, days later, he’s asking the question so many others are asking.
“The fear comes in if that was more, if that was a gun,” Rozzi said.
In the last month, there have been three acts of violence in or around courthouses in Middlesex County.
Courthouses in other counties have also experienced violence.
“We do not typically have these violent episodes,” said Middlesex D.A. Marian Ryan. “To have three in just about a month, that is a problem. And it puts everyone at risk,”
The Woburn District Court, dedicated in 1967, was built in a time when security needs were different.
In contrast, the Lowell Judicial Center opened in 2020, features courtrooms on upper floors, far away from the lobby.
Security Analyst Dan Linskey tells me the Woburn pepper spray incident illustrates the need to review security at every courthouse.
“We’ve got to look at it. We’ve got to identify: What are the threats? What are the holes in the process? And then, what is the appropriate mitigation strategy to that?” Linskey said.
DA Ryan said her office is seeking to take part in an After Incident Meeting with the Massachusetts Trial Courts.
The DA says the courthouses and the property around them need to remain accessible to everyone, but they also need to be safe for everyone.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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