A melee erupted at a court hearing for a murder suspect on Long Island on Monday when a spectator began shouting — and it took at least six officers to haul him off.
The violent incident ensued when a Nassau County judge ordered second-degree-murder suspect Jeremias Ferrufino-Rodriguez, 18, held without bail, NBC4 reported.
Ferrufino-Rodriguez fatally shot 19-year-old Jefferson Mancia-Fernandez at a busy Hempstead intersection near his home in broad daylight Saturday as part of a simmering beef, according to county officials.
Shortly after Ferrufino-Rodriguez was told by the judge that he would be held without bail, a young man in the courtroom began repeatedly shouting, “Hold your head up!” to the defendant, according to the outlet.
Authorities said the spectator appeared to be a relative of the suspect.
New York state court officers began removing the supporter in a violent confrontation that ended up with half a dozen or more officers pinning the man to the ground.
The unruly spectator was ultimately dragged out of the courtroom and charged with contempt, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
The slay victim, Mancia-Fernandez, had been helping his mom move between apartments when Ferrufino-Rodriguez allegedly pulled up in a car and killed him, Newsday reported.
“These two individuals knew each other; this was a targeted event,” said Nassau homicide squad commanding officer Capt. Stephen Fitzpatrick.
“Apparently, there’s some friction between them from the neighborhood, and on that particular day, they ended up in the same location at the same time.”