Bloody brawl breaks out at Massachusetts courthouse between families of 36-year-old man accused of killing Destini Decoff, 26, during a road rage incident

A bloody brawl broke out between the family of a young woman mowed down in a road rage incident and relatives of the man accused of killing her.

Destini Decoff, 26, died in the hospital on April 4, less than 72 hours after she was hit by Ryan Sweatt's Honda Civic on Route 85 north of Milford, Massachusetts.

Sweatt, 36, told police he had been threatened with a knife by the four men in Destini's car, but police alleged he made two U-turns before running her over.

He faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by relatives on both sides. 

Once the hearing was over, the two family groups faced off in the hallway outside and hurled abuse at each other before a fight broke out.

Destini Decoff, 26, was fatally injured when the car she was travelling in became caught up in a road rage incident on Route 85 north of Milford in Massachusetts

Decoff's aunt, Dawn Anderson, claimed Sweatt's girlfriend attacked her first, giving her a cut on her neck that was bleeding after the brawl.

'She came towards me and tried to grab the top of my hair but as you can see my hair's slicked back so that kind of didn't work and I got her on the ground,' she told Boston 25. 

'Destini will get her justice somehow, someway, but that family is sick, sick, sick, sick.'

It was unclear if anyone was charged over the brawl. 

Sweatt's lawyers insisted he never meant to kill Decoff and he struck her by accident, but police alleged that claim was inconsistent with evidence.

'This is not a road rage case as reported by the media. This was an accident that resulted when Ryan tried to get away from the group of people who came out of their car to attack him,' Sweatt's lawyer said.

Ryan Sweatt, 36, faced Framingham District Court on Tuesday after being charged with murder at an arraignment attended by family of both parties

Decoff's and Sweatt's families hurled abuse at each other in the hallway after the hearing, which escalated into a bloody brawl before court officers pulled them apart

'He did not see the person who was struck. He stopped his car after the impacted and cooperated with the police. 

'There is a lot more to what was reported in the news and as the facts come to light, I am confident it will become obvious this was a just a tragic accident. 

'Ryan is a peaceful person who has always maintained a clean record with a long history of gainful employment. He was going home from work when the accident happened.'

Decoff's mother, Tracy, was unconvinced, insisting the young woman's death was intentional and murder.

'If Massachusetts had the death penalty that’s what I would want,' she said. 

She said she hoped Sweatt 'burns in hell' after surveillance footage showed him turning round and steering into the group of friends, rather than driving off.

'He turned around multiple times and he coulda just kept going,' witness Brett Martin said.

Destini was taken to hospital suffering from a brain bleed, collapsed lungs, and fractures to her shoulder, tibia and ribs 

Her mother Tracy switched off her life support system three days after she was hit and swore to win justice for her daughter 

'He could have kept going. He chose to turn around, chose to come back. He knew what he was doing when he went towards that girl.

'I didn't see her go up in the air. But I saw her come down, hit the pavement. It wasn't good from there.'

'I saw her mid-air kind of coming down towards the street, her jacket must've been 20 feet away from her. However she got hit, those clothes flew off.'

Sweatt told police he had left work and was driving home to Milford when the other car pulled in front of him, and its driver slammed on the brakes.

A police officer caught up with Sweatt and saw damage to his windscreen after seeing him speed away.

'They're trying to kill me,' he told the officer, gesturing back to the people gathered around Destini who was lying in a pool of blood.

Destini was taken to the hospital suffering from a brain bleed, collapsed lungs, and fractures to her shoulder, tibia and ribs.

She had an emergency operation to remove her spleen and part of her skull to relieve pressure on her swollen brain but never regained consciousness.

Tracy switched off her daughter's life support system three days after she was hit and swore to win justice for her daughter.

'With every ounce of my being I hope that mf burns directly in hell!' she wrote on Facebook.

'Today my biggest fear as a mother became my reality. My first-born child and best friend is no longer with me.

'I don't break promises and I promise you with every ounce of my being I will get justice for you regardless of what it takes.

'Go spread those beautiful wings and fly without pain and suffering.'

Tracy Decoff thanked medics at Umass Memorial Medical Center who tried to save her daughter's life and gave her a print-out of Destini's last heartbeats

'My first born child and best friend is no longer with me,' Destini's mother wrote, 'I don't break promises and I promise you with every ounce of my being I will get justice for you '

Tracy thanked medics at Umass Memorial Medical Center who tried to save her daughter's life and gave her a print-out of Destini's last heartbeats.

'I know from working in the medical field you are supposed to hold in your emotions,' she wrote.

'All the doctors, all different types of trauma surgeons were amazing.

'The anesthesiologist cried with me saying how sorry she was. Those trauma ICU nurses are unmatched by no other! Hugging and crying with my other kids and family.

'I had a nurse that wasn't even my daughter's nurse telling me she's from Medway and how popular my daughter is there. 'Medway loves her' is what she said.

'After they called it this nurse let me help her make my daughter's final handprints and printed her heartbeat put in a bottle.

'So many of them said we can tell underneath all her injuries she's a pretty girl.

'I said absolutely beautiful. I will treasure these forever.'