ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A routine court hearing devolved into chaos when two people in the gallery rushed at the defendant and ended up starting a brawl. Now, those two men are facing charges. It happened at a district court hearing Friday morning for murder suspect Alexander Ortiz.
As the defendant stood in front of the judge, a man jumped over the partition from the gallery ran forward, threw the defendant to the ground, and appeared to punch him. A second man followed and joined in the fray while the defendant’s father also got involved. It appears two women tried to pull the men away, as a corrections officer tried to shield the defendant while sustaining blows before the men were separated.
District court said this highlights the importance of courtroom security. “This is just one more incident that we continue to deal with, these are the types of things that we see regularly,” said Katina Watson, CEO, Second Judicial District Court.
She also praised the officer who reacted to the situation in the courtroom.
“I really want to give recognition to the MDC officer who was caught in the middle of this and he did everything he could to ensure the safety of everyone,” Watson added.
Ortiz is charged with killing his ex-girlfriend. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said the first man to rush at the defendant was Carlos Lucero, who told deputies, “he killed my niece like a coward,” and “it was worth every moment.” The second man was identified as Pete Ysasi.
Both are facing charges of assault as well as battery on a peace officer.
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