Assistant US Attorney, US Marshal Assaulted Outside DC Court

CORRECTION (April 6, 2018, 11:58 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that two men convicted of murder were suspected of assaulting three people. Tyrone Michael Hight and James Young are not suspected in the assault and have been in custody since they were arrested in September 2014.

An assistant U.S. attorney and a U.S. marshal were assaulted outside D.C. Superior Court on Thursday after two men were convicted of murder and the officials left the courthouse.

The female attorney, the male marshal and a second woman were attacked about 2:50 p.m. Thursday as they left the H. Carl Moultrie Courthouse on Indiana Avenue NW, a block north of the National Mall, a police report says.

One person grabbed the attorney's hair, punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground. A second person spit on the woman who was with the attorney and the marshal. As the marshal detained the person who attacked the attorney, that person spit in his face.

The attack occurred after a jury convicted Tyrone Michael Hight, 26, and James Young, 25, of robbing and killing 38-year-old Willard Carlos Shelton of Alexandria, Virginia, on the 2500 block of Pomeroy Road SE. After the killing in August 2014, Young threatened a government witness, and Hight convinced someone who was not a witness to the shooting to lie to police, prosecutors said. Hight and Young are set to be sentenced in June.

The two suspects in the assault Thursday were expected to appear in court Friday afternoon. Police arrested one person for assault and a second person for assaulting, resisting or impeding officers and resisting arrest.

Stay with News4 for more details on this developing story.

Contact Us