FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP/WFLA) — A public defender was taken to the hospital after a defendant in court punched her in the head, knocking her to the ground during a bond hearing in Fort Lauderdale.

Assistant Public Defender Julie Chase was standing next to a female defendant at a podium Wednesday morning when a man waiting for his own bond hearing stood up, walked behind Chase and punched her with his left hand.

That man was identified by authorities as 27-year-old William Greene. He was arrested Monday for battery after being accused of punching an employee at a medical center.

The courtroom video shows Chase fall to the floor. The inmate standing next to her put her hands to her mouth and backed away. Everyone was noticeably surprised by the attack, prompting other defendants awaiting their appearances to make way for deputies, who handcuffed the man and carried him from the courtroom.

The public defender was rushed to the hospital.

“She’s very shaken up. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital and she’s being treated for her injuries and that is totally inappropriate and totally not what is to be expected of your job as a public defender,” Chief Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weekes said.