A Broward County judge lost his cool after a public defender argued that his African-American client ran from the cops because he was scared he would be a victim of police brutality.
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Twenty-six-year-old Steven Clarke fled after allegedly shooting at an officer, and was later found hiding under a boat dock wearing a firearms holster.
“Your honor, in light of what’s happening in this country with unarmed black men being killed by police, him running from shots being fired is a very reasonable response,” public defender Dale Miller argued in front of Judge John “Jay” Hurley.
“Don’t give me that,” Hurley hollered at Miller. “That is so off base.”
As Miller attempted to argue his case, Hurley cut him off, chastising the public defender.
“We’ve got a young man, I don’t care what color he is, he’s in a neighborhood he doesn’t live in at 1:41 in the morning, hiding under somebody’s dock in the water with a holster on after a police officer had a shot taken at him,” Hurley said, recounting Steven Clarke’s arrest.
“Don’t hand me this, ‘running from police brutality,’…That is not appropriate in this case. I’m not going to let you poison this case with bringing in something that has nothing to do with it,” he said.