It was back in December 2018 when Jermaine Bell, a Florida man, pulled a gun and pointed it at Millennium Engine Plating employees. He was dressed up as a courier. After getting caught by police, Bell spent more than three years in custody.
While Bell fought the charges during his time in custody, a jury eventually found him guilty of armed robbery. After hearing his verdict in the Miami-Dade County courtroom, Bell began drinking a liquid from a plastic cup. That liquid was no water: it was bleach.
A guard took notice of the situation and attempted to have Bell spit the bleach out. This, however, was futile. Bell continued to drink the cup, ingesting an unhealthy amount of bleach. Said bleach took effect quite fast. Shortly after sitting down, Bell became ill and collapsed. He was rushed out of the courtroom on a stretcher and transported to the nearest hospital.
Bleach is, of course, poisonous, and can damage body tissue with relative ease - it can even corrode metal, let alone a person's internal organs. Fortunately for Bell - or unfortunately for his intent-, after receiving medical treatment, he became stable in the hospital.
The Event's Reactions
The whole incident was caught on tape and it quickly became viral all across the internet. This raised concerns throughout the web, but especially Bell's family who was witness of the event as it was happening. Bell's cousin spoke to Local 10 and stated: "I was the only one like that jumped up and tried to get him help." She continued: "It's very emotional for the whole family. We thought we were going to lose Jermaine that day."
Speaking to Local 10, Reverend Jerome Starling, a distant relative of Bell, said: "I see him drinking something that's not right,". He added: "His attorneys are letting him drink it. Corrections letting him drink it. All of a sudden I see him collapse. And I said how could this happen."
Starling states that there needs to be accountability for what happened in the Miami-Dade County courtroom. It is unclear how Bell gained access to the bleach in the first place and, when contacted by the media, the courtroom was unable to provide an explanation.
