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The father of a black teenager killed by an alleged white supremacist last year was excluded from a hearing in the murder case today, after a prosecutor said he attacked his son's alleged murderer in Multnomah County Court.
The father was detained, but no charges were filed.
Russell Courtier and his fiancé, Colleen Hunt, are facing murder and hate crime charges for allegedly mowing down 19-year-old Larnell Bruce Jr. in Hunt's Jeep on Aug. 10, 2016 after an altercation in the parking lot of a Gresham 7-11.
Bruce died in the hospital that night.
Courtier and Hunt were in court on Wednesday so their lawyers could argue that Judge Jerry Hodson should exclude Courtier's confession to intentionally killing Bruce, as well as evidence showing he is a member of the white supremacist prison gang European Kindred.
But before proceedings began, shouts echoed in the hallway outside the sixth-floor courtroom.
Bruce's father, Larnell Bruce Sr., lunged at Courtier as sheriff's deputies escorted him into the courtroom. Bruce tried to punch Courtier before deputies intervened, according to deputies who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Prosecutor David Hannon called the scuffle an "attempted or actual assault" and said Bruce had been detained. Hannon told the court that deputies were excluding Bruce from proceedings on Wednesday, and "possibly for the forseeable future" to ensure the safety of everyone in the courtroom.
Multnomah County Sheriff's Sgt. Barrett Taylor confirmed that no charges were filed against Bruce.
Hannon said deputies told the family they "hoped" Bruce could still participate and the family assured them there would be "no more issues."
