SCF TIP: Don't try this tactic to get a mistrial

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BOSTON — A judge refused to grant a mistrial Monday for a defendant who punched a juror as other jurors watched in court.

Richard Glawson, 46, is on trial in Suffolk Superior Court for a list of charges stemming from a crime rampage in 2001 that allegedly included shooting a Dedham police officer in the hand.

On Friday, as jurors were filing out of the courtroom at the end of the day, Glawson punched an elderly male juror in full view of the 15 other jurors hearing the case. The punch knocked the juror to the floor, but he was not hurt, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley.

Glawson's attorney, Joseph Griffin Jr., asked Judge Patrick Brady to declare a mistrial, but the judge refused, saying Glawson should not be allowed to benefit from his own disruptive behavior, Wark said. Griffin did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Monday.

The judge dismissed the juror who was punched and ordered Glawson to be shackled for the remainder of the trial.