Defense Lawyer, Investigator Brawl in California Courthouse

This March 9, 2016 photo provided by Jerry L. Steering shows Defense attorney James Crawford at his attorney's office in Newport Beach, Calif. Crawford an Orange County defense attorney who suffered a bloodied face after a brawl with a district attorney's investigator in a Santa Ana, courthouse hallway. Crawford was speaking with a witness in the courthouse Wednesday, March 9, when an investigator he did not know interrupted his conversation and called defense lawyers sleazy, said Jerry Steering, Crawford's lawyer. Jerry L. Steering via AP

SANTA ANA, Calif.—An Orange County defense attorney suffered a bloodied face and fractured nose after a brawl with a district attorney’s investigator in a courthouse hallway, his lawyer said.

James Crawford was speaking with a witness in the courthouse Wednesday morning when an investigator asked him who he was and called defense lawyers sleazy, said Jerry Steering, Crawford’s attorney.

The investigator then grabbed Crawford, slammed his head into a bench and began punching him.