Man slapped with 120-year sentence after courtroom outburst, taunting

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A man convicted of attempted murder and assault for firing at a SWAT team and wounding an officer in Washington state has been sentenced to 120 years in prison.

Clark County Superior Court Judge John Wulle handed down the sentence after 30-year-old Matthew Hastings yelled at the judge and taunted officers in the courtroom.

Hastings was convicted last month of shooting at a SWAT team during a 20-hour standoff in Vancouver in July 2007. The wounded officer has returned to duty.

At one point during the testy exchange Monday, Wulle told Hastings, "shut your d*** mouth!" He then accepted the state's sentencing recommendation.

The judge later apologized to anyone in the courtroom who was offended.




(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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[motleyhar]

"Most of it was inappropriate for us to put on television"... and now here is Jersey Shore followed by Teen Mom.

[Thoraxe555]

rofl 121 years for wounding an officer and then small back talk against a judge who was being childish himself.. that's just an abuse of power..

[Thoraxe555]

@cw5394 when did i say they should get away with it? don't put words in my mouth you retard.. if you shoot at a cop and wound him. you should get 3-5 years.. the fact he got 120 was BECAUSE of the back talking the judge.. which was the abuse of power. now go kindly fuck yourself.

[cw5394]

@Thoraxe555 wounding an officer lol. its attempted murder dumbfuck. he could have easily killed him. im sorry man but in the U.S. you are just not allowed to shoot a gun at another human being and get away with it. dont like it? move to libya. you are just hating because it was a cop. if it was a pregnant women, you would be on the prosecutions side.

[matdawg420]

120 years? the cop should have died

[theraVen27]

abuse of power.. yep everything looks in order here. just another day at the court house.

[daven58100]

Guy was sentenced on 4 counts of attempted first-degree murder and 2 counts of seconde-degree assault. Don't think it was his courtroom outburst that resulted in the length. Fuck him.

[JawsJaws]

The judge shouldnt have taken it personally. Just do your job and dont put your personal feelings into it.

[PoGoMyFlApPyStIcK]

@PoGoMyFlApPyStIcK They're*

[PoGoMyFlApPyStIcK]

Police think their gods, it's like touch me you are condemned. Fuck that system...

[howycwap]

@mrwfraser hes probobly served a year of that already waiting for trial.

[xThexHevyxMetalxking]

121 years and he didn't even kill anyone? that sucks for him i guess