subdue father, son in courtroom fight By Jeremy Selweski FERNDALE — A father and son were arrested after police say they fought with officers inside Ferndale 43rd District Court while disputing a speeding ticket. According to Ferndale Police Detective Lt. Bill Wilson, on the afternoon of March 15, Sterling Heights residents Joseph Riddle Sr. and Joseph Riddle Jr. entered the courthouse for an informal traffic hearing before Magistrate Larue Mead. Riddle Jr., 26, had shown up in order to contest a ticket that he received on Jan. 7 for driving too fast in snowy road conditions. After Mead determined that the $110 ticket had to be paid in full, both the son and his 64-year-old father objected to the ruling, Wilson said. When told that the decision was final and that they had to leave the courtroom, the two men continued to argue and refused to exit. “I don’t have any idea why (Riddle Jr.) did what he did, but it was not a wise decision,” Wilson said. “He was told that he could appeal the magistrate’s decision, but unfortunately he did not take that logical step.” Instead, as officers attempted to escort the father and son out of the courtroom, police say the duo became angry and responded violently. According to Wilson, Riddle Jr. then threw a punch at one of the officers, which led to a melee that spilled out into the lobby area. Riddle Sr. joined his son in the fight, and other officers interceded to try to restrain the two men. But as Wilson pointed out, the confrontation only grew more heated. “One of our officers was thrown into the fire extinguisher case, which shattered the glass all over the place,” he said. “The fight escalated to the point where a Taser had to be used to subdue both subjects and get them in handcuffs.” In subsequent news reports, the Riddles indicated that a Ferndale officer initiated the brawl by pushing Riddle Jr. as he tried to usher him out of the courtroom. However, Wilson strongly disputed that claim. “The veracity of such a complaint is questionable at best,” he said. “We had four officers there, plus one officer from another jurisdiction, plus the magistrate, plus court personnel — and they all seemed to see things differently than the defendants in this case. It’s ridiculous that something like a simple civil infraction could result in tempers flaring up and an assault on some of our officers.” Warrants were later issued for both Riddle Sr. and Riddle Jr. on charges of resisting and obstructing police, a two-year felony. They were arraigned before Judge Joe Longo, who set a $1,000 cash bond and scheduled a pre-exam conference for 1 p.m. March 25 in Ferndale District Court. You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Selweski at jselweski@candgnews.com or at (586) 218-5004. |
