LYNNWOOD — A man who stopped in to see his former attorney in Lynnwood on Tuesday likely will have to find a new lawyer to get him out of trouble this time.
The Everett man, 25, became irate and punched James Feldman, 60, a public defender who twice represented the man, according to a document filed Wednesday in Everett District Court.
Feldman is recovering with a broken nose and a cut cheek, his son, Brandon Feldman, 33, a partner in the firm, said Thursday.
The suspect was jailed Tuesday for investigation of assault. On Thursday, Snohomish County prosecutors charged him in Superior Court with second-degree assault.
After the man posted bond, prosecutors asked for a $100,000 arrest warrant. Since Tuesday, prosecutors said they learned that the man harassed relatives, talked about killing black people and threatened to go to Sea-Tac airport to “shoot up the place,” according to court papers. The man’s criminal history includes a felony bail-jumping conviction, other felonies and a dozen misdemeanors.
The recent trouble started Tuesday morning when the suspect dropped into the Lynnwood law offices without an appointment.
It’s not unusual for former clients to stop by, Brandon Feldman said. They often need help finding services, paying fines or navigating the legal system.
The man’s file with the law firm dates back several years.
The firm had represented the man in a 2001 drunken driving case, Brandon Feldman said. In that case, attorneys convinced a judge to reduce a charge of drunken driving to negligent driving. The attorneys saved the man from mandatory jail time, a suspended license and a requirement to have an ignition interlock device put in his car, Feldman said.
The lawyers again represented the man in 2005, when he was stopped for driving with a suspended license, the attorney said.
On Tuesday, James Feldman, who has been a public defender in Snohomish County for decades, met the man in his office.
His son said he didn’t recall the man’s case as Tuesday’s meeting began.
The man was “very irritated” and wanted to discuss the seven-year-old drunken driving case, according to the court document.
As the lawyer was reviewing a copy of the case from the firm’s files, the man reportedly insisted the lawyer look at his copies.
When the lawyer refused, the man walked around the lawyer’s desk and confronted him. The attorney told the man to sit down.
That’s when the man yelled, “or else what,” threw two punches and tried to run off, the document said.
“My dad came out his office with blood pouring out of his nose and eye,” Brandon Feldman said. “I was just stunned.”
The father, his son and an associate chased the suspect into a parking lot where they tackled him and held him down until police arrived, the document said. The man told police he was defending himself.
Prosecutors will decide whether to file a charge against the man. It will be up to a judge decide whether the case should be moved to another jurisdiction. Most people involved in the criminal justice system in Snohomish County know James Feldman, his son said.
“I’m going to feel sorry for the public defender that has to represent this guy,” he said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com
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