Man shot by security officer near Philly’s federal courthouse charged with attempted murder

A Bristol man who authorities say brandished weapons outside the federal courthouse in Center City on Tuesday morning and was later shot by a security guard has been charged with attempted murder and assault on a federal officer.

Anthony Lombardo, 44, parked a white Dodge caravan near the intersection of Seventh and Filbert Streets around 9:30 a.m., authorities said. The zone he parked in was restricted to courthouse personnel, according to U.S. Marshals.

A court security officer identified in court documents only as L.J. — his name has not been released— approached the car’s passenger window less than a minute after Lombardo parked.

Lombardo allegedly got out of the vehicle with a large kitchen knife in his right hand and made his way toward the officer, authorities said, coming around the front of the car. He ignored multiple orders to drop the weapon, federal law enforcement officials said.

“That court security officer feared for his life and discharged his weapon multiple times,” said Robert Clark, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The officer fired his weapon and struck Lombardo as he continued to approach him, according to court documents. Lombardo fell to the ground and drove his knife into a nearby tree planter, but began to reach inside his left sleeve, the documents said, prompting the security officer to discharge his weapon again.

As Lombardo lay on his back, other security officers helped apprehend him and provided aid.

Officers feared Lombardo might be hiding an explosive device because of a bulky, square outline underneath his gray sweatshirt, according to the criminal complaint. The oddly shaped material turned out to be makeshift body armor, the documents said. The officers found a second knife sticking out of Lombardo’s left arm and two cell phones in the caravan.

As Lombardo was being handcuffed, he told law enforcement to let him bleed out, according to the criminal complaint. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for surgery, where he remained Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Clark did not go into details about what would happen to the security officer.

“We have policies and procedures as far as the [security officers’] contract that we’re going to have to adhere to,” he said.

Clark added that many of the security guards who staff the federal courthouse are retired police officers contracted by the Marshals and it’s common for them to approach vehicles parked in restricted zones and ask drivers to move.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia Division and the U.S. Marshals Service.

If convicted, Lombardo could face up to 20 years in prison. No lawyer was listed for him in court documents.