Fight Breaks Out In City Court

Witness Is Pummeled By Defendant, Both Allegedly Gang Members, During A Hearing

About 20 minutes later, the first punch landed squarely on Robbins' face as someone screamed in a crescendo, "Oh! Oh! Oh!" Welch ducked under the bench to push an emergency button as a sheriff's deputy bolted from her chair to intervene.

Meanwhile, Shaffer yelled at the clerk, "Call for backup. Call for backup. Jesus, call for backup." The sheriff began ordering spectators to step back and then drew her gun to fend off Key's, who had become combative.

Shaffer then began shouting at the sheriff, telling her not to let the cousin leave the courtroom. "Do not let her leave!" she repeated, as she stepped from the bench and waded into the gallery.

As spectators left the courtroom and tensions simmered, Shaffer, the sheriff and the judge began to discuss how Key slipped out of handcuffs - at which point Welch turned off the video recording. Mark Vernarelli, a spokesman for the state's corrections department, said late Wednesday that the agency is investigating and does not know yet whether the cuffs were on properly.