Man accused of killing 15-year-old was beaten by teen’s family during melee in Texas courtroom

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A man accused of fatally shooting a 15-year-old last year was beaten by members of the teen’s family during a courtroom melee in San Antonio, authorities said.

Victor Rivas, 18, who is charged with murder in the May 2022 death of Ethan Soto, was in a Bexar County courtroom Friday awaiting a preliminary hearing when he was attacked.

Rivas’ attorney, Adam LaHood, said his client was “going to be bruised and swollen” but was not otherwise injured.

Four people — two men and two juveniles — were arrested and will be charged with assault and disrupting court proceedings, the Bexar County sheriff’s office said. Their names haven’t been released.

Last week in Houston, a brawl broke out during a Harris County court hearing when family members of a murdered 16-year-old girl tried to attack her ex-boyfriend after he’d pleaded guilty to shooting her.

As deputies responded to the commotion in Houston courtroom on Oct. 17, an inmate who was left unattended in a holding area managed to walk out of the courthouse. The Harris County sheriff’s office said Thursday that the inmate had been recaptured.