A routine hearing for a man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend quickly devolved into a brawl involving multiple people in a New Mexico courtroom.
According to KRQE, the melee happened during a hearing in Albuquerque on Jan. 31 for Alexander Ortiz, a man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Alianna Farfan last year.
Surveillance video obtained by local news outlets shows the moments Farfan’s uncle Carlos Lucero lept over the gate from the audience gallery, darted across the courtroom, and charged at Ortiz, who was standing beside his attorney in front of a district court judge.
As Lucero starts repeatedly punching Ortiz, another man, authorities identified as Pete Ysasi, quickly follows behind him to join in the fray.
Ortiz’s father, Joeray Ortiz, was also seen running over and hitting Lucero and Ysasi, later telling police that he was trying to break up the scrap.
The melee didn’t end until multiple law enforcement officers arrived to restore order. A courtroom officer was reportedly injured while trying to separate the men involved.
A police report stated that Ortiz suffered “visible lacerations” on his face and body. Lucero, Ysasi, and Ortiz’s father were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries.
Lucero, 40, and Ysasi, 51, were both charged with felonies, including battery upon a peace officer and assault. How Ysasi is connected to the defendant or Farfan’s family is unclear.
When Lucero was being detained, he told deputies that Ortiz “killed my niece like a coward,” according to a criminal complaint cited by KRQE. The aggrieved uncle added that the fight “was worth every moment.”
Lucero and Ysasi are due back in court in March.
In February 2024, Ortiz was charged with murder after being accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old Farfan, according to The New York Times. He was also charged with the murder of another woman, Nicole Maldonado, who was shot and killed outside a convenience store six days after Farfan died.
Lucero and his wife were granted custody of Farfan’s 1-year-old daughter just two months after their niece was killed.
