A gas-mask-wearing assailant stormed into a Massachusetts courthouse Monday and unleashed a tirade, pepper-spraying officers and assaulting bystanders at random in a shocking, caught-on-camera attack.
Nicholas Akerberg, 28, showed up to the Woburn District Court in the Boston suburbs locked and loaded with a gas mask, tactical boots, and sunglasses before he barged inside, according to police and security footage.
As he approached the court entrance, Akerberg fired pepper spray at an officer while she was trying to close the door on him. Despite her efforts, he pushed past her, dousing her in even more pepper spray before sprinting past the metal detector and into the courthouse lobby, the footage shows.
He managed to punch, push, and assault several bystanders in the process.
It took six officers and a taser to subdue him, according to the video.
In total, Akerberg had eight canisters of pepper spray and two smoke canisters with him, the Middlesex district attorney’s office said.
He was arrested and taken for a mental health evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital, according to police.
He has an extensive history of rocky mental health, including five prior court-mandated commitments to mental health institutions, according to court documents obtained by CBS News.
In 2023, Akerberg was arrested for punching a 67-year-old neighbor. He also attacked police officers with pepper spray in 2024 while resisting arrest for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a protection order, the outlet reported.
For Monday’s court rampage, he was charged with six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and several other charges, the district attorney’s office said.
Akerberg was ordered held at a Monday arraignment, and his bail was revoked. He is due back in court on May 2.
With Post wires.
