Hudson, Ohio Authorities released video footage Wednesday showing a former well-known criminal defense lawyer who had vandalized a gas station and charged at officers with a hammer before being shot and injured by Hudson police.
Carlos Warner, 54, has struggled with mental illness and had multiple hospitalizations in recent years. By 2023 at the latest, he had ceased his legal practice.
Around four in the morning on Thursday, Warner was seen on security footage smashing windows at a Sunoco gas station with a hammer. Before the police could reach the site, Warner ran away.
The video is too explicit to be published on Cleveland.com.
Following a search of the gas station and its environs, authorities were notified that Warner was shouting at drivers while strolling barefoot down Stony Hill Drive and Ohio 91.
Officers repeatedly told Warner to cease coming toward them with the hammer once they located him. Rather, Warner allegedly yelled, “I won’t stop walking,” “accept God, pull out your gun, and shoot me,” and then he ran toward the cops while brandishing the hammer.
After being shot by a cop, Warner collapsed to the ground and screamed in agony before being placed in handcuffs. He was taken to Akron City Hospital by paramedics.
The quantity of rounds fired and the severity of Warner’s injuries were not made public by the authorities. In the past, Michael Goldberg, Warner’s lawyer, informed The Plain Dealer and Cleveland.com that Warner was expected to survive the shooting.
Warner’s history of hospital admissions and court-ordered mental health treatment was disclosed in a complaint filed against him by the Ohio Disciplinary Counsel just hours after the incident. Information regarding threats Warner made against Stephen Newman, the head of the federal public defender’s office where Warner had previously worked, was included in the complaint.
From 2005 until 2020, Warner worked as a federal public defender, taking on high-profile matters such as defending captives at Guantanamo Bay and contributing to a narcotics probe in Mansfield that resulted in the release of 15 inmates.
After being accused of possessing misdemeanor drug paraphernalia, he was compelled to quit in 2020, and in 2023, his law license was revoked.
Warner had a lengthy history with law enforcement, according to Hudson police records. Since 2020, he has been mentioned in 55 police reports. The records go into depth about charges that include theft, domestic abuse, and traffic infractions.
In addition, Warner reported to the police that he was being stalked and that several things had been taken from him.
According to the study, doctors repeatedly suggested that Warner be sent to a hospital for mental health treatment.
