[WFTV] Court deputies had to break up a physical fight between a Brevard County judge and a public defender after an argument during a hearing on Monday.Judge John Murphy is accused of punching veteran public defender Andrew Weinstock after the two had words during court in which Murphy allegedly pressured Weinstock to get his client to waive his right to a speedy trial.
"You know, if I had a rock I would throw it at you right now," Murphy tells Weinstock. "Stop pissing me off. Just sit down."
"You know I'm the public defender. I have a right to be here and I have a right to stand and represent my client," Weinstock said in the video.
The judge allegedly asked Weinstock to come to the back hallway, an area where there are no cameras, which is where the fight broke out.
"If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your ass," Murphy tells Weinstock before the two head out of the courtroom.
While Murphy and Weinstock could not be seen, the courtroom camera captured audio of the scuffle and several loud thuds that accompanied it.
Those inside the courtroom sat uncomfortably and then clapped when the altercation sounded as if it ended.