An NBC 5 News crew covering the Deion and Pilar Sanders custody battle got caught up in a different story outside the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney Wednesday morning.

NBC 5's Kendra Lyn and her photographer were yards away when a fight broke out between a husband and wife in the parking lot.

Lyn said the man seriously beat the woman and pulled her hair and once she was down on the ground he repeatedly kicked her --- at least seven times according to NBC 5 photojournalist Kerry Smith. He and other people at the courthouse rushed to stop the man.

Smith recorded video just moments after the incident as deputies from the courthouse put Patrick Knox in cuffs.

Meanwhile the woman, identified as Shenekque Nash-Knox, laid on the ground for some 20 minutes. She was taken to Baylor Medical Center in McKinney for treatment.

Nash-Knox's attorney told NBC 5 she was at the courthouse because she's a defendant in a car burglary trial. Her attorney, Andrew Peveto, said he believes Knox may have thought Nash-Knox was going to implicate him in the crime and wanted to silence her.

Because of the altercation in the parking lot, the judge sent the jury in the car burglary trial home.

Knox faces three felony charges for assault on a family member, aggravated assault and retaliation.

NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff contributed to this report.