Shocking moment handcuffed murder suspect, 18, is beaten in court by family of his ‘victim’, 15, ‘after gesturing towards them’
- A fight broke out in the courtroom of a murder trial after angry family members were provoked by the suspect
- Victor Nathaneal Rivas, 18, was charged with the murder of Ethan Soto, 15
- Rivas allegedly made a gesture to Soto’s family, who was then seen on video jumping over a partition and punching him
A handcuffed murder suspect was brutally assaulted by his alleged victim’s family after he appeared to gesture at them in a Texas court.
Victor Nathaneal Rivas, 18, was in a Bexar County courtroom facing murder charges in the death of Ethan Soto, 15, when a dramatic brawl broke out Friday.
Video footage shows Soto’s relatives jumping over a partition and attacking Rivas – who reportedly provoked the group by gesturing towards them.
The footage showed a group of at least four people throwing punches at Rivas, whose hands were handcuffed behind his back.
Victor Nathaneal Rivas, 18, was on trial Friday for the murder of Ethan Soto, 15, when a fight broke out
Rivas, who was 17 at the time of his alleged crime, was arrested and charged with murder in August 2022 after he was accused of shooting Soto in what appeared to be revenge for a drug robbery, Sant Antonio police said (Photo: Rivas)
The shooter is said to have lured his ‘victim’ from his home in May 2022 after Soto stole THC cartridges from Rivas (photo: Soto)
Police tried to peel the attackers away from the alleged killer, as bystanders watched in shock as the incident unfolded, using a clip KSAT shows.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, four people — including two adult men and two juvenile men — were arrested following the violent outbreak and will be charged with assault and disrupting legal proceedings.
Rivas, who was 17 at the time of his alleged crime, was arrested and charged with murder in August 2022 after he was accused of shooting Soto in what appeared to be revenge for a drug robbery, Sant Antonio police said.
Judge Ron Rangel, administrative judge for the Bexar County Criminal Courts, said, “Think about courtrooms, you’re bringing together victims of violent crimes with people accused of committing those violent crimes, so often courtrooms can become powder kegs. . One little spark can ignite.”
The judge had to press the panic button in the courtroom after the fight broke out. Rangel said it is unlikely that any of the charged individuals will be allowed to attend future hearings.
Rivas’ attorney Adam LaHood told KSAT they were in court Friday for a routine preliminary hearing. He said the eruption was “definitely unexpected” and “not something you ever want to see happen.”
Soto’s relatives jumped over a partition in the courtroom and began attacking Rivas – who provoked the group by making a gesture towards them
The dramatic incident took place in Bexar County, Texas, in a courtroom where the murder trial took place
Someone captured the shocking fight on video – the footage showed a group of at least four people throwing punches at Rivas – who was handcuffed
The shooter is said to have lured his ‘victim’ from his home in May 2022 after Soto stole THC cartridges from Rivas.
According to an affidavit, Soto’s mother tried to defuse tension between the boys by paying Rivas for the cartridges Soto stole.
Rivas shot Soto during the altercation in May, but Soto was not injured.
Later that day, Rivas messaged an underage girl on Instagram asking if she wanted to do a drug deal with Soto — which police say she did the next day.
The girl told Soto that she was near the agreed location and he went to meet her, but he was confronted by Rivas who ambushed him and allegedly shot him dead.