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.
While I understand the feeling, mob justice like this only undermines the justice system and should really be prosecuted.
On the other hand, it probably would not be too difficult to find a sympathetic jury and he does not appear to be seriously injured, so assuming the charges aren’t just dropped, I would expect a plea deal for something like community service, as well.
This is far from the worst thing undermining the justice system. It’s not even an egregious example of mob justice. But I suspect we mostly agree. I’ve said all I’ve got to say about it.