Gas-Masked Man Storms Courtroom and Attacks Officers in Broad Daylight (Video)

A small-town courthouse turned into a warzone Monday when a man in full tactical gear stormed through the doors of Woburn District Court, unloading pepper spray on police officers and court officials in what some are calling a shocking attack on the justice system.

The suspect, identified as 28-year-old Nicholas Akerberg of Yarmouth Port, was captured on surveillance footage wearing a gas mask, helmet, tactical boots, and sunglasses as he forced his way past a female officer, blasting her in the face with pepper spray. In his backpack? Eight canisters of pepper spray and two smoke bombs, authorities said.

One court employee who witnessed the chaos described it as “pure mayhem.” The footage shows bystanders scrambling for cover while officers rushed in to subdue Akerberg, ultimately deploying a Taser to bring him down.

“All I heard was screaming, and then I saw people running,” said a witness in the courthouse lobby. “Then the pepper spray hit. I couldn’t breathe. It was like something out of a movie.”

According to the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office, Akerberg didn’t stop with one officer. He allegedly attacked multiple court officers, a Stoneham police officer, and even an assistant district attorney. Authorities say he punched and shoved several people in the lobby, attempting to cause maximum disruption before finally being tackled and handcuffed.

“This was not just an attack on individuals — it was an attack on our justice system,” said District Attorney Marian Ryan. “Courts are sacred institutions in our democracy.”

Akerberg now faces a laundry list of charges: six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault on a public employee, assault on a police officer, disrupting a court proceeding, bomb threat, intimidation, and more.

The motive? Still unclear.

The court was temporarily shut down while hazmat crews ensured the safety of the building. Akerberg, one police officer, and two court officers were taken to the hospital but have since been released.

The judge overseeing Akerberg’s arraignment wasn’t taking any chances — ordering him held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing and requiring a full psychiatric evaluation.

This isn’t an isolated incident either. According to the DA, it marks the third major courthouse attack in Massachusetts since March 10 — a disturbing trend that’s raising eyebrows across the state.

Many conservative observers see this as yet another failure of soft-on-crime policies and crumbling public order under Democrat leadership in the deep-blue Northeast.

“How does a guy in full tactical gear walk into a courthouse and start spraying officers like it’s a riot scene?” said one Republican state official who asked not to be named. “If this had happened in Florida or Texas, he wouldn’t have made it past the front door.”

The case has sparked renewed calls for increased courthouse security — and for policies that put public safety before political correctness.

Akerberg is due back in court next week. Until then, Massachusetts officials are left asking a hard question: how many more red flags will be missed before something even worse happens?