Judge scolds gang member

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Thursday, April 23, 2015
Judge's scolding goes viral
A judge scolded a person in her courtroom and now what she said is going viral online

CHATTANOOGA, TN (KTRK) -- A judge in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is getting attention online for talking tough to a gang member recently.

In a court in Hamilton County on April 16, Judge Lila Statom spoke with O'Shae Smith, a man accused of shooting a rival gang member for being "in his hood," a public housing project.

In video captured by station WRCB, Statom said, "Sir, East Lake Courts is not your hood. It's the citizens of the United States who own that because they work and pay taxes. You don't own that. People like you have made it a violent, unsafe place to live."

Statom says Smith needed to realize that even though he took control of a neighborhood he did not control the courtroom.

ABC News reports an attorney for Smith, P. Andrew Coyle, declined to comment.

Smith did not make a plea or statement during the preliminary hearing. The judge found a probable cause existed and the case will next go before a grand jury. Smith is being held without bond on the charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous offense.