He was only up on a misdemeanour assault charge and looking at it possibly being upgraded to a felony. But police in Denver are still completely baffled by the actions of Josephus Haynes (left), as he stood in one of their courtrooms awaiting justice on Tuesday.

Authorities say the 41-year-old suspect was in handcuffs and shackles and was set to go before a judge to face the next step in the legal process, when he decided to try something else.

Without warning, the bound man stunned the entire room by running towards a sealed third floor window, shattering and crashing through the glass and landing in a heap on the ground below. "He was just sitting there, turned around and he went headfirst out the third-story window," witness Ty Berrien told a local Denver TV station.

The inmate remains in critical condition and was found lying on a grate, unable to move when rescue workers arrived.

Haynes, described as a bike riding homeless man, has been in jail since April 30th after allegedly shoving a man at a bus stop. He has a lengthy police record.

Cops don't know if it was suicide or an escape attempt but the results were equally horrific - and either way, they didn't work. He's in a local hospital still alive and still under guard and will likely face even more charges if he recovers.