Footage is circulating of a man in tactical gear forcefully entering a courthouse in Massachusetts and unleashing pepper spray inside the lobby, which sent officers scrambling and prompted a temporary evacuation.
The baffling incident unfolded at Woburn District Court on Monday morning when 28-year-old Nicholas Akerberg of Yarmouth Port appeared outside the courthouse. Surveillance footage captured him dressed in a helmet, gas mask, sunglasses, and boots.
The video begins with him approaching the courthouse with speed. A court officer opens the door, and the moment Akerberg is close enough, he blasts the officer with pepper spray. The officer attempts to close the door, but Akerberg grabs the handle and forces himself inside. He storms past the officer and continues to spray the irritant into the air close to the security gate.
He moves swiftly into the lobby, but he does not make it to the main doors. A bystander darts across the lobby and pounces on him. According to reports, the bystander tackled the suspect to the ground. The report states that several court officers quickly piled on to restrain him.
The footage shows when he fell onto a bench near onlookers as a female officer grabbed him. The onlookers run away, and more officers launch on him as he struggles to break free. The suspect was eventually subdued when an officer deployed a taser, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
Authorities revealed that Akerberg was carrying eight canisters of pepper spray and two smoke canisters at the time of his arrest. He was transported to a hospital following the incident and is now facing a long list of charges, including six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, bomb threat, assault, and disrupting a court proceeding.
The suspect was reportedly scheduled to appear in court for a separate case that occurred in Stoneham in 2024. His bail on existing charges was revoked, and he has been ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation. A dangerousness hearing is set for May 2, according to reports.
Three officers sustained injuries in the attack. One Stoneham police officer received medical assistance for being pepper sprayed, and two court officers were hospitalised for injuries that have not been disclosed. They all have since been treated and released. Following the incident, the courthouse was briefly evacuated but reopened by 2 p.m.
