JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A defendant attempting to flee a courtroom Tuesday was chased and captured by Duval County courtroom bailiffs. The officers reportedly used a Taser to catch and detain the man.
Defendant Tyrone Gantt was in court for arraignment on several charges, including trafficking in fentanyl. According to multiple law enforcement and courthouse sources, he was not in custody before the incident.
Circuit Judge London Kite reportedly ordered him to be drug tested based on his strange behavior and the fact that he apparently smelled of marijuana. Gantt told Kite he had a medical marijuana card, but she wanted to see if other drugs showed up in his system.
According to sources, a bailiff took Gantt to be drug tested on the second floor of the courthouse, and returned him to courtroom 308. A short while later, when his drug test reportedly came back positive, Judge Kite ordered him to be taken in to custody.
Instead, "he threw up his hands and bolted," one source with direct knowledge of the incident told First Coast News.
After bailiffs caught Gantt in the hallway, they found his pockets "stuffed" with baggies of white powder and marijuana, sources say. Because law enforcement suspected the baggies contained fentanyl, the courtroom was cleared.
Court Administration Public Information Officer Eve Jonoko said, "Out of an abundance of caution, they closed Courtroom 308 and moved Judge Kite." After searching the courtroom, bailiffs deemed it safe and allowed Kite to resume in her usual courtroom. Thirty-five jurors who had been summoned for another trial and witnessed the incident had to be dismissed.
Kite's judicial assistant said things are now back to "normal" in the courtroom.
First Coast News has reached out to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, which oversees courthouse bailiffs, and Gantt’s attorney for more information.