The family of a slain Texas teenager brutally attacked his alleged killer and sparked a massive fight during a court hearing in San Antonio.
Victor Nathaneal Rivas, 18, was awaiting arraignment for his murder trial for the shooting death of 15-year-old Ethan Soto in May 2022 when chaos unfolded inside the courtroom.
Rivas then gestured toward Soto’s grieving relatives in the gallery, according to the San Antonio Express.
One of Soto’s male relatives jumped over the railing and began punching the accused murderer before three others joined the fight that lasted more than 30 seconds.
The melee occurred in front of a bench full of other inmates as two court bailiffs rushed to break up the fight, video obtained by KSAT shows.
Court officials cleaned the gallery and removed inmates from the room when Soto and Rivas’ family were separated.
Rivas only suffered minor injuries.
“He will be bruised and swollen,” Rivas’ attorney, Adam La Hood, told the San Antonio Express.
Victor Rivas, an accused murderer, was attacked by relatives of the 15-year-old boy he killed last year after a drug robbery. KSAT 12 One of Soto’s male relatives jumped over the railing and began punching the accused killer before three others joined the fight that lasted at least 30 seconds. KSAT 12 The melee occurred in front of a bench full of other inmates when two court bailiffs rushed to break up the fight.KSAT 12
The four relatives (two men and two teenagers) were arrested and charged with assault and disturbing the judicial process.
Rivas is accused of killing Soto as an act of revenge for when the younger teen allegedly stole THC cartridges from Rivas, according to KSAT citing an arrest affidavit.
Rivas, outraged by the robbery, allegedly shot at the home of Soto and his family, but the 15-year-old was not injured in that shooting.
The four relatives, two men and two teenagers, were arrested and charged with assault and interruption of the judicial process. KSAT 12 Court officers cleared the gallery and removed inmates from the courtroom as Soto and Rivas’ family were separated. KSAT 12
In an attempt to calm the situation between the teenagers, Soto’s mother met with Rivas to pay for the stolen cartridges, an interaction that Rivas has denied, according to the television station.
Rivas then approached an underage girl on Instagram and asked her to set up a drug deal with Soto and “stated several times that he was looking for the person who robbed him and that he was going to ‘get’ him when he saw him. ” the affidavit stated.
The girl and Soto agreed to meet for a drug deal related to the stolen cartridges before Soto was ambushed by Rivas, the outlet said.
Soto was shot several times and was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
After the fight, deputies handcuffed a woman and escorted her out of the courtroom.KSAT 12
Last week, another fight broke out in a Texas courtroom when an accused killer also gestured toward his victim’s family.
Frank DeLeon Jr. reportedly laughed at the mother of his alleged murder victim, his ex-girlfriend Diamond Alvarez, when she gave her testimony.
Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, left the stand and walked directly toward DeLeon before being detained by a sheriff’s deputy, prompting Alvarez’s uncle to run and punch the defendant.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn