![Angilua died shortly after being shot. [image source: youtube/Associated Press]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/3/15/660x290/b_502x220x82/angilua-died-shortly-after-being-shot-image-source-youtubeassociated-press_1887395.jpg "Angilua died shortly after being shot. [image source: youtube/Associated Press]")
The dramatic video released on Monday shows a U.S. Marshal shooting at a Defendant four times after he rushed to the witness stand in an attempt to stab the witness with a pen. The defendant died moments after he was shot. The video was made public after media networks insisted it was part of public record.
The short video shows the defendant, Siale Angilua, rising from his seat, grabbing his lawyer’s pen, and then dashing to the witness stand. He leaps (with his right hand holding the pen) only to be shot dead by the Marshal. The witness was unharmed.
Most of the individuals in the courtroom screamed in fear after the gunshots went off. Angilua’s attorney hid under the desk while his client got shot. Other officials are seen running to Angilua, asking him to drop the pen.
Video shows a defendant calmly rising from his chair, grabbing a pen and attempting to stab a witness before he's shot dead in a Utah courtroom in 2014. Read the story: https://t.co/Qnk7l4gysp pic.twitter.com/V4R3kzAOTO
— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) March 12, 2018
The Marshal is cleared by the FBI
The unidentified U.S. Marshal was cleared of any charges of excessive use of force. The Marshal Service spokeswoman, Lynzey Donahue, said in a statement that the Marshal acted within the agency's guidelines during the incident.
She also cited that the FBI also cleared the Marshal. According to Donahue, the video shows how fast violence can erupt during a court session. The U.S. District Judge John Dowdell also excused Marshal’s quick reaction, citing that Angilua’s swift flight from his seat and leaping to the witness stand was a clear indication that he intended to harm the witness.
Angilua's family is not pleased with the court's decision
Angilau’s attorney, however, has a different view of the incident. According to the family’s lawyer, the U.S. Marshal panicked but should have opted for non-lethal methods in terms of subduing his client. He stated that during the final three shots, Angilua was already on the floor, meaning the last bullets were uncalled for.
The attorney also pointed out the presence of other officials who could have subdued his client before the fatal shot.
Angilua was the last of the 17 Tongan Crip members who were sentenced to 10-30 years in prison. The gang was accused of conspiracy, multiple counts of robbery, and assault. The faces of the jurors, judge, and Marshal were blurred out to protect them from retaliation by other gang members. The Department of Justice decided not to release the video, but after a few years of debate and arguments, the media was afforded access to the video. The Angilua family is not pleased with the court’s decision on the shooting but have not appealed, according to their lawyer, Bob Skyes.
