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Maine man shot after threatening officer pleads guilty

Maine man shot after threatening officer pleads guilty

Photo: 560 WGAN Newsradio


BANGOR, Maine (AP) A man who held a knife to a security officer’s neck before being shot in the the federal building in Maine’s capital pleaded guilty on Tuesday.

Derik Broox Wight, 41, of Augusta, pinned a private security officer working for the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service against the wall and threatened him with a knife. He was shot by another officer after refusing to drop the knife.

The episode unfolded in the lobby security screening area of the Edmund S. Muskie Federal Building on April 20, 2022.

It’s unclear what prompted the episode, which was captured on surveillance video in a security screening area.

U.S. Attorney Darcie McElwee praised the officers for acting swiftly. “They should be commended for their brave actions which ensured that Mr. Wight was stopped at the security screening station, and no one else could be harmed,” she said.

Wight pleaded guilty to assaulting a federal officer. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

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