Courtroom video shows the moments a New Mexico murder suspect was attacked during a hearing by his alleged victim’s uncle and stepfather on Friday.
Albuquerque police Alexander Ortiz, 21, arrested last February in connection with the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Alianna Farfan, police said in a news release.
Ortiz was charged with first-degree murder, which he pleaded not guilty to in March, court records show.
Ortiz was in a courtroom at the Bernalillo County Courthouse in Albuquerque on Friday morning for a plea hearing when he was attacked.
In the video, a man jumps over the courtroom boundary separating members of the public from suspects and beelines for Ortiz, who tries to flee. Another man follows suit seconds later.
A melee then breaks out with several people struggling and fighting as they roll around on the floor, including Carlos Lucero, Pete Ysasi, Ortiz, a corrections officer, Ortiz' father and a sixth unidentified man.
Lucero and Ysasi can be seen punching an unidentified man wearing jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt, while the corrections officer tries to protect Ortiz.
The fight finally ends when the corrections officer pulls out his Taser.
Court documents filed by the state of New Mexico in Metropolitan Court last week identify the men as Lucero and Ysasi. Deputies responded to the courtroom at around 9:30 a.m. following a dispatch report of an active fight.
Lucero and Ysasi jumped over the courtroom gate, ran toward Ortiz and began punching him, court documents allege. They are also alleged to have injured the corrections officer protecting Ortiz.
During his arrest, Lucero referred to the victim, Farfan, as his niece.
"He killed my niece like a coward," Lucero is alleged to have told the deputy who detained him, adding, "It was worth every moment."
Ysasi was Farfan's stepfather.
There were "visible lacerations" on Ortiz, Lucero and Ysasi after the incident, according to court documents. Lucero and Ysasi were taken into custody and charged with battery on a peace officer and assault on a jail.
Lucero was released from the Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday, and Ysasi was released Sunday, online records show.
It was not clear whether they have attorneys.
Police found Farfan dead in her apartment on Jan. 11, 2024, according to the police department.
"Homicide detectives learned from friends and family that Farfan and Ortiz had an abusive relationship and Ortiz was upset with Farfan the day of the shooting," police said in a news release last year. "Farfan lived at the apartment and allowed several friends to stay there because she feared being alone, according to a relative."
Farfan's friends told detectives they heard a single gunshot while Ortiz and Farfan were in her bedroom that evening. After they kicked open the door, they discovered Farfan with a gunshot wound to the face, they said, and Ortiz had escaped through the bedroom window.
Ortiz was arrested on Feb. 21, 2024, after a brief stand-off with police. He has been in the Metropolitan Detention Center since then, according to online records.
An attorney for Ortiz didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
His next hearing is set for Friday morning.
