'He raped my son': Violent court outburst as Kingsburg child sex convict delays punishment

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A violent outburst disrupted court Tuesday morning after a victim's family found out a Kingsburg man who admitted to child sex crimes would not be punished as planned.

The family's anger had simmered for months as Brandon Howard's case worked its way through the court system.

On Tuesday, their rage reached a boiling point and instead of the sex offender going to jail, it was three of the victim's family members in trouble.

RELATED: 19-year-old Kingsburg man accused of sex crimes with multiple underage teens

The trouble started with a shove.

It ended with a victim's brother in jail for allegedly attacking a law enforcement officer, his mother and father both cited for misdemeanor battery.

"He raped my son," the mother shouted from a courthouse hallway as sheriff's deputies detained her. "You guys don't understand. He raped my son."

Police say 19-year-old Brandon Howard used his position at a retail store to coerce underage teens into sexual activity.

In May, Howard admitted to three felony sex crimes involving minors.

The mother who went after Howard on Tuesday told Action News in May she expected him to walk away with minimal punishment.

"I'm numb," she said. "I just want him to stay in jail for as long as possible and always have to register as a sexual offender."

The sentencing was scheduled for Tuesday, and since he's not in custody, Howard stood just feet away from the mother as he asked the judge to delay his punishment.

RELATED: Kingsburg man confesses to child sex crimes, but minimal punishment expected

After her shove, sheriff's deputies say the victim's father got her out of the courtroom.

In the meantime, a brother lunged in Howard's direction before two officers took him down.

The father came back into the courtroom with his fist cocked.

When he walked away, Howard grabbed at the side of his head with an apparent injury.

"You know, it's very emotional to watch that," said legal analyst Tony Capozzi. "You can feel sorry for that family. It's just, you can feel the emotion of the family and to see someone in court who did something to their child. It's hard not to react the way they did, but you can't do that."

Howard is due back in court now in September, but the victim's three family members won't be allowed in the courtroom.