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A handcuffed murder suspect was viciously beaten by the family of his alleged victim after he appeared to make a gesture at them in a Texas court.

Victor Nathaneal Rivas, 18, was inside the Bexar County courtroom where he is on trial for murder over the death of Ethan Soto, 15, when a dramatic brawl broke out on Friday.

In video footage, Soto's family members are seen jumping a partition and attacking Rivas - who allegedly provoked the group by making a gesture at them.

Police tried to peel the attackers off the alleged killer while bystanders watched the incident unfold in shock, a clip provided to KSAT shows.

According to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office four people were arrested after the violent outbreak - including two adult males and two juvenile males - who will be charged with assault and disrupting court proceedings.

Rivas, who was 17 at the time of his alleged crime, was arrested in August 2022 and charged with murder after he was accused of shooting Soto in what appeared to be revenge for drug robbery, Sant Antonio police said.

Judge Ron Rangel, administrative judge for the Bexar County criminal district courts, said: 'You think about courtrooms, you’re bringing in victims of violent crimes with people that are accused of committing those violent crimes, so often times courtrooms can become powder kegs. One little spark can ignite.'

The Judge has been forced to hit the courtroom's panic button after the brawl broke out. Rangel said it's unlikely that any of the people charged will be allowed to attend future court hearings.

Rivas's attorney Adam LaHood told KSAT that they were in court on Friday for a routine preliminary hearing. He said the outburst was 'certainly unexpected' and 'not something you ever want to see happen'.