On Monday, June 17th, an alleged criminal male caused quite a stir in Lockport, NY when he threatened to jump into the Erie Canal to avoid appearing at City Court in front of Judge William Watson. His charge, according to sources, was allegedly stealing a tip jar from a local restaurant.
There are two videos of the male in his attempt to avoid court.
The first (courtesy of Kay Hague) shows him being chased by law enforcement towards the courthouse down Main Street. However, the male caught officers off-guard and jumped over a gate that leads down to the Lockport Locks. The end of the video shows officers start their descent to chase after him.
The second video (courtesy of Nicole Baldwin) shows the male at the end of a concrete platform feet away from the water surrounding by law enforcement and spectators. He could be heard in the video shouting, "are you trying to shoot me?"
****No officer is seen in the video with his gun out.***
Officers responded, "we aren't going to shoot you. You have a warrant. You need to see the judge in five minutes. The judge is here."
Ultimately, the male was taken to court and saw Judge Watson. No further information is available at this time.