SPOKANE, WASH. — By 4:30 p.m. Monday, a Jury was seated and watching Martin Diaz’s arrest video. The video, showing Diaz’s April 29 arrest in front of his Spokane home, went viral on social media.
Following the arrest, Diaz was charged with Assault on a Federal Agent.
Court documents say that as Diaz was attempting to flee agents, he tried to unlatch the gate to his backyard, but was apprehended by a border patrol agent.
During Border Patrol Agent Walter Sketch’s testimony in court, while he was attempting to put Martin under arrest, he was struck by his right elbow.
He said in court that he saw stars and sought medical attention for a black eye.
Despite the doorbell cam footage, the alleged strike was not caught on camera.
Both the prosecution and the defense pointed to this blind spot in camera footage.
Federal prosecutors asked the jury to look at the evidence of Sketch’s injuries while the defense pointed to the nature of the arrest, saying that the momentum with which Diaz was arrested could have led to the injury.
Testimony is expected to continue tomorrow morning, with the defense having an opportunity to question and call their own witnesses.
In pre-trial briefs, both parties wrote they expect the trial to be brief, with defense mentioning they hope to make closing statements tomorrow evening.
