SAN FRANCISCO – Investigators on Thursday were trying to figure out how a murder suspect sneaked a 6-inch metal spike into the Stockton courtroom where he attacked a judge with the handcrafted weapon before a detective shot him to death.

Investigators said a family member had warned them last month that David Paradiso had a weapon, but searches of his jail cell had turned up nothing.

The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s office released photos of the weapon investigators said the 29-year-old Paradiso used Wednesday to attack San Joaquin Superior Court Judge Cinda Fox during a recess in his trial. Fox suffered minor injuries before a Lodi police detective shot Paradiso in the head and shoulder.

The sheriff’s office said bailiffs were in the back of the courtroom at the time of the attack, ejecting Paradiso’s mother and brother after the two caused a disruption.

That’s when the defendant lunged at Fox, grabbing the judge from behind and striking her, witnesses said.

The spike was found in the slain suspect’s hand, authorities said.

One of the local San Francisco TV stations reported he was shot three times. If there’s one thing better than a “double-tap”, it’s that old “triple-tap.”

This guy didn’t make it to court thanks to quick thinking citizens.
Unlike the Paradisio family who recognized their son was insane, the mother in this story thought her son was just fine.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090305/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians

So, how did they allow him in a court without handcuffs or restraints?

Det. Eric Bradley gets the “Quick Thinking Award” of the week and California get to save a few dollars by not having to feed him.

What are we afraid of here, though? I don’t get it.

Animal attacks. Gives us legal and moral justification to kill. Animal gets put down.

What is the exact uncertainty here? Help me out here.

This is like psychologists and psychiatrists getting attacked by their patients. I don’t get it. What stops the doctor from putting the animal down? You don’t need knives, the police, or guns.