A 24-year-old New Bedford man is being held pending a dangerousness hearing after he allegedly threatened a prosecutor in New Bedford District Court, saying “I’m going to f*** you up,” and, later, flipped the prosecutor off, according to a Bristol County District Attorney’s Office release.

Jonathan Perez-Martinez was arrested by state police on Saturday and charged with witness intimidation and threats for his alleged actions on Feb. 12.

While in courtroom 3, Perez-Martinez was reportedly sitting in the audience waiting for a case involving his brother to be heard by the court when he allegedly told the prosecutor, “I’m going to f*** you up.”


As the prosecutor turned around, he allegedly repeated, “Yeah, I’m talking to you … I’m going to f*** you up,” before promptly leaving the courtroom.

Soon after, as the prosecutor was leaving the courtroom and close to leaving the courthouse, a court officer who saw the earlier interaction reportedly advised him to wait until Perez-Martinez had left the property. The prosecutor then saw the 24-year-old outside the building flipping him off, the release says.

“Threatening a prosecutor or any court official in open court is outrageous,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III said in a statement. “On top of it, the defendant was waiting for the prosecutor outside when the court proceedings concluded.”

A state trooper took a report of the incident, and a warrant was issued for Perez-Martinez’s arrest. He was reportedly found Saturday afternoon hiding behind a bedroom door at a friend’s apartment on Myrtle Street before officers arrested him.

His dangerousness hearing is scheduled for Feb. 25 in New Bedford District Court.

“I will not tolerate this type of lawlessness and contempt for the judicial system,” Quinn said. “Our office will make every attempt to hold this defendant accountable.”