Video shows New Mexico murder suspect getting attacked by victim's family in court
Alexander Ortiz, 21, was arrested by Albuquerque police last February in connection with the fatal shooting of his ex-girlfriend, Alianna Farfan, according to a news release.
Ortiz was charged with first degree murder, a crime he pled not guilty to last 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 could be seen jumping over the courtroom boundary separating members of the public from suspects and beelining for Ortiz, who attempts 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 Lucero, Ysasi, Ortiz, a corrections officer, Ortiz' father, and a sixth unidentified man.
Lucero and Ysasi could be seen punching an unidentified man wearing jeans and a dark long-sleeved shirt, while the corrections officer attempts 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 Carlos Lucero and Pete Ysasi. Deputies responded to the courtroom at around 9:30 a.m. following a dispatch report of an active fight.
Lucero and Ysasi allegedly jumped over the courtroom gate, ran towards Ortiz and began punching him, court documents state. The men also allegedly 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 allegedly 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 following 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 the day after, online records show.
It is not clear at this time if they have attorneys representing them.
Farfan was found dead by police in her apartment on Jan. 11, 2024, according to the Albuquerque 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 published 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 that they heard a single gunshot while Ortiz and Farfan were in her bedroom that evening. After kicking open the door, they discovered Farfan with a gunshot wound to the face and said Ortiz had escaped through the bedroom window.
Ortiz was arrested on Feb. 21, 2024 following a brief stand-off with police. He's been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center since then, according to online records.
NBC News did not immediately hear back from an attorney for Ortiz.
His next hearing is set for Friday morning.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
16 hours ago
- New York Post
Smash-and-grab robbers steal $2M in jewelry in daytime Seattle heist that took about 90 seconds
Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Video from the West Seattle store's surveillance cameras shows four masked suspects shattering the locked glass front door with hammers and then ransacking six display cases Thursday. Jewel thieves in Seattle, Washington, made off with approximately $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold, and other items in a midday jewelry store robbery that lasted under 2 minutes. Menashe & Sons Jewelers The Rolex watches the thieves stole were worth around $750,000, along with an emerald necklace valued at $125,000, according to police. Menashe & Sons Jewelers One display held around $750,000 worth in Rolex watches, police said in a statement, and another had an emerald necklace valued at $125,000. A masked suspect threatened workers with bear spray and a Taser, police said, but no one was injured. 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said by phone Friday. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Menashe said workers finished cleaning up the broken glass and were working on a full inventory of the losses. Police said they responded to the robbery but the suspects had already fled in a getaway car and eluded a search of the area.
16 hours ago
Thieves grab $2 million in jewelry in Seattle heist that took less than 2 minutes
SEATTLE -- Smash-and-grab thieves in Seattle made off with an estimated $2 million in diamonds, luxury watches, gold and other items in a daring midday jewelry store robbery that took just about 90 seconds, police said Friday. Video from the West Seattle store's surveillance cameras shows four masked suspects shattering the locked glass front door with hammers and then ransacking six display cases Thursday. One display held around $750,000 worth in Rolex watches, police said in a statement, and another had an emerald necklace valued at $125,000. A masked suspect threatened workers with bear spray and a Taser, police said, but no one was injured. 'We're pretty shook up as a staff,' Josh Menashe, vice president of the family-owned store, said by phone Friday. 'We're gonna be closed for a while.' Menashe said workers finished cleaning up the broken glass and were working on a full inventory of the losses. Police said they responded to the robbery but the suspects had already fled in a getaway car and eluded a search of the area.
NBC News
3 days ago
- NBC News
‘He doesn't feel safe': Family speaks out after teen with disability is mistakenly detained by federal agents
The mother of a 15-year-old California boy who was briefly detained by federal agents at gunpoint in a case of mistaken identity recalled the terrifying interaction in an interview Wednesday. Andreina Mejia said she was parked at the curb outside Arleta High School on Monday to enroll her daughter. At that time, her son, Baldemar Gutierrez, who has special needs, was with her. All of a sudden, a truck pulled up behind Mejia's car and a group of masked men poured out of the truck to surround her and her son, she recalled. 'Somebody approached me, and another person approached [Baldermar], pointing a gun and a Taser,' she said. 'They pulled him out and they handcuffed him right away.' Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho described the incident during a news conference Tuesday, adding that surveillance video captured armed agents wearing 'police' and 'Border Patrol' insignia taking the teen into custody. 'This young man was placed in handcuffs, presumably based on mistaken identity. He was not an adult. He was a 15-year-old boy with significant disabilities,' Carvalho said. California, led by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, has become a target in the tough immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump's administration. Earlier this month, an appeals court kept in place a Los Angeles federal judge's ruling that bars immigration agents from using a person's spoken language or job, like day laborer, as the sole pretext to detain them. The administration is also embroiled in a legal fight with the state over whether it violated federal law when it mobilized troops to Los Angeles this summer. The administration said the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines was meant to support immigration officials. Carvalho said the agents involved in Monday's incident left bullets behind at the scene. District police reached out to the agencies that had been there to ask them to return and collect the ammunition, Carvalho said, but were told that they could keep the rounds and use them for target practice. 'That's not suitable for us,' Carvalho said. 'Come and get what you left behind.' In a post on X, the Department of Homeland Security said Border Patrol agents were not targeting the high school. The agents were looking for a Salvadoran national with prior criminal convictions and suspected of ties to the gang MS-13, DHS said. The department did not respond to an NBC News email Tuesday night asking why the teen was detained and requesting more details on the incident. Mejia said her son has been shaken up since the encounter. 'He breaks down, and he tells me he feels harassed. He tells me he doesn't feel safe,' the mother said. The teen, who has a hearing condition and speech delays, said the agents showed him a picture, asking him about a person they were looking for. 'They handcuffed me and kept telling me who this person is, and I was like, 'I don't know who that person is,'' Baldermar recalled. Mejia also said the agents showed her the picture, and she responded that the person pictured was not her son. Baldermar kept repeating his name and told the men that he was a U.S. citizen, the mom said. When the agents finally realized their mistake, they removed her son from handcuffs and implied it was a worthwhile experience for him, Mejia said. '[One agent] was like, 'Oh, we confused him with somebody else, but look at the bright side: You're going to have an exciting story to tell your friends when you go back to school,'' Mejia recalled. 'What's exciting about getting guns pointed at you?' Mejia added that agents could have asked for identification before placing her son in handcuffs. Carvalho called the incident 'unacceptable' and said district schools will have safety plans in place, including increasing patrols by school police so that they can alert schools of any potential immigration operations. 'That example says all we need to know about why these actions should not be taking place around schools. Bullets on the ground — what else do we need? Beyond the trauma, what else do we need?' Carvalho said.
