Oregon man attacked courthouse security officer before being shot, authorities say

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man is facing federal charges after he attacked a courthouse security officer, who shot him, federal prosecutors in Oregon said.

Jett Avery Thomas, 39, has been charged with assaulting a federal employee with a dangerous weapon and causing bodily injury, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon said Wednesday in a news release.

Thomas attacked the Pioneer Courthouse security officer early Monday morning, according to a criminal complaint written by FBI agent Joseph Youngblood.

Thomas charged up the courthouse steps, forced his way inside and punched the officer multiple times in the head, the complaint said. Thomas then forced the officer outside, where he continued to punch him, placed him in a chokehold and hit him in the head with the officer’s handheld radio, according to the complaint.

When Thomas was distracted by a bystander who was yelling at him to stop, the security officer reached for his gun and fired two shots into Thomas’s torso, the complaint said.

Thomas was taken to a hospital for surgery, according to the news release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in Oregon. The officer was also transported to a hospital, where he was treated for his injuries before being released.

The officer had reason to fear death or serious injury when Thomas choked him and struck him with the radio, which “constituted an assault with a dangerous weapon,” Youngblood said in the complaint.

It remained unclear if Thomas had a defense attorney assigned to his case.

Thomas will make his first appearance in federal court at a later date, the release said. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in federal prison.