Bloody brawl breaks out at Massachusetts courthouse between families of ... trends now
A bloody brawl broke out between the family of a young woman mowed down in a road rage incident and relatives of the man accused of killing her.
Destini Decoff, 26, died in the hospital on April 4, less than 72 hours after she was hit by Ryan Sweatt's Honda Civic on Route 85 north of Milford, Massachusetts.
Sweatt, 36, told police he had been threatened with a knife by the four men in Destini's car, but police alleged he made two U-turns before running her over.
He faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by relatives on both sides.
Once the hearing was over, the two family groups faced off in the hallway outside and hurled abuse at each other before a fight broke out.
Destini Decoff, 26, was fatally injured when the car she was travelling in became caught up in a road rage incident on Route 85 north of Milford in Massachusetts
Decoff's aunt, Dawn Anderson, claimed Sweatt's girlfriend attacked her first, giving her a cut on her neck that was bleeding after the brawl.
'She came towards me and tried to grab the top of my hair but as you can see my hair's slicked back so that kind of didn't work and I got her on the ground,' she told Boston 25.
'Destini will get her justice somehow, someway, but that family is sick, sick, sick, sick.'
It was unclear if anyone was charged over the brawl.
Sweatt's lawyers insisted he never meant to kill Decoff and he struck her by accident, but police alleged that claim was inconsistent with evidence.
'This is not a road rage case as reported by the media. This was an accident that resulted when Ryan tried to get away from the group of people who came out of their car to attack him,' Sweatt's lawyer said.
Ryan Sweatt, 36, faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by family of both parties
Decoff's and Sweatt's families hurled abuse at each other in the hallway after the hearing, which escalated into a bloody brawl before court officers pulled them apart
'He did not see the person who was struck. He stopped his car after the impacted and cooperated with the police.
'There is a lot more to what was reported in the news and as the facts come to light, I am confident it will become obvious this was a just a tragic accident.
'Ryan is a peaceful person who has always maintained a clean record with a long history of gainful employment. He was going home from work when the accident happened.'
Decoff's mother, Tracy, was unconvinced, insisting the young
