2 arrested in attack on suspect in court

A man charged with killing his ex-girlfriend and her three children was punched repeatedly while he stood handcuffed in a courtroom, and two relatives of the victims were charged in the videotaped attack.

A television cameraman covering Jason Howard’s hearing Wednesday taped one man reaching over the banister that separates attorneys from the public to beat the defendant, and another man jumping the banister and punching Howard after court officers pulled off the first attacker.

Howard, 24, tried to dodge the punches. He is shown on the video sitting speechless after both attackers were restrained. He was examined by a jail doctor and was not seriously hurt, authorities said.

Lewis West, 30, and Sulthan Honzu, 29, both of Warren, were arrested in the Trumbull County courthouse and charged with assault. Honzu is a cousin and West is a brother of Jameila West, 27, who was slain in Columbus in June with her daughter, 10, and two sons, 3 and 5.