Lawyer recovering after attack in courtroom

March 13--A Detroit criminal defense lawyer is recovering after he was attacked Monday by his client in 3rd District Court in Detroit.

William Frederick (Fred) Moore, 56, left the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in an ambulance after the 11:20 a.m. attack, the side of his head bruised, according to a report by the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

"The courtroom was chaotic and there was so much confusion," said Judge Vonda Evans, who was presiding over the case. She said Moore was not seriously injured. "Luckily, the deputies responded so quickly."

Moore was taken to DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital for treatment.

Moore could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Reginald Price was about to go to trial in courtroom 802 on a charge of first-degree, premeditated murder.

He is charged with beating Kimani Hicks to death in the parking lot of a gas station on West McNichols in Detroit on May 9, according to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and court officials.

Deputies had just led 42 potential jurors into the courtroom to be questioned and seated to hear the trial.

Price was sitting next to Moore at the defendant's table when he suddenly punched his lawyer in the temple. Moore fell to the floor, where Price proceeded to grab him in a headlock and pummel him in the face.

Court personnel hit a panic button. More than 20 sheriff's deputies responded to assist the two officers already trying to pull Price off Moore.

Longtime Detroit criminal defense lawyer Patricia Slomski, whose office is in the courthouse, arrived in the courtroom for another case as Moore was waiting for an ambulance.

"He was being Fred -- Fred is real humble, affable," Slomski said Tuesday. "He was trying to minimize what had happened to him. He's one of the most compassionate court-appointed lawyers down there in terms of service to the community. That it happened to him made it even sadder."

A couple of years ago, a client charged with criminal sexual conduct who Slomski was defending threw a table in the courtroom.

"I did one of the quickest scoots away, and they piled on him," Slomski said. "That problem's always there. We're all sitting there, vulnerable to anything that happens. I don't know if there's an answer. It's part of the job description."

Sheriff's Office spokesman Dennis Niemiec said Tuesday that altercations in the courtroom are "sporadic but not uncommon." Deputies tended to two fights last week, he said.

"This is rare because of the fact that it's a defendant and his attorney," Niemiec said of Monday's incident. "Altercations occur most often among family members. You have situations where you have the victim's family and they're mixed in with the alleged perpetrator's family. It can be a very volatile situation. It is dangerous. That's why these officers are in courtrooms."

Niemiec said his office is investigating the incident and will forward a request to the Prosecutor's Office if deemed necessary.

"Part of that will be whether the attorney wants to press charges," Niemiec said.

Evans declared a mistrial in Price's trial Monday. He is scheduled for another pretrial April 2.

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