The head of the Poinciana Bloods street gang dropped his lawyer Friday to defend himself at trial against attempted murder charges

The head of the Poinciana Bloods street gang dropped his lawyer Friday to defend himself at trial against attempted murder charges and other felonies over gunfire that crippled a guest at a 2009 birthday party.

Michael Rigby drew national notoriety last year when he broke out of the Osceola County Jail's highest security cell block and remained free for nearly 3 months before his capture near New York City.

The escape prompted the County Commission to spend more than $4 million on improved security and prompted the firings of guards along with jail and county administrators.

Rigby is accused of shooting at three women associated with the Bloods, when they sped away a car after one of them was shot during the July 11, 2009 party, records show.

Trial is scheduled to begin Monday afternoon, when Orlando attorney Patricia Cashman, who represented Rigby until last week, will sit at the defense table as standby counsel, records state. Felony cases in which defendants represent themselves remain rare in most courts.

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