James Crawford went right to his attorney’s office bloodied shirt and black eye after he was assaulted during a courthouse brawl. Crawford is a defense attorney who became a victim after a argument in a Santa Ana Courthouse turned physical. The argument was between Crawford and a man who is an investigator with the Orange County District Attorney’s office.
Crawford says,
“He made some obnoxious comment about, ‘Defense attorneys can’t be trusted and are sleazy,'”
This is how the argument reportedly started. After that, punches were thrown and Crawford’s face ended up on the courthouse bench. His eye is damn there shut and black and blue. He says,
“You’re supposed to have trust in law enforcement and here they are overreaching, going over the edge, abusing their authority,”
There have been no arrest made at the moment but The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is still investigating. Crawford says he did not throw a punch. He says that he has called out the D.A.’s office two weeks ago for illegally using informants during a murder case. He was asked if that could be the reason the brawl started he said,
“I could only guess. I don’t know what he was thinking.”
the Orange County District Attorney’s office released a statement saying,
“The Orange County District Attorney’s Office (ODCA) is fully cooperating with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) as they continue to investigate the incident this morning, March 9, 2016, at the Central Justice Center between an OCDA Investigator and a court-appointed private attorney. When the investigation is complete, the matter will be referred to the California Attorney General’s Office for a legal review.”
Tom Dominguez, president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriff’s released a statement also saying,
“There were many independent bystanders in the hallway who witnessed exactly what happened in the courthouse. Criminal defense attorney James Crawford’s one-sided version is simply not true. A careful investigation will reveal the true facts. We are cooperating fully in that investigation and we look forward to the actual facts being released publicly.”
Crawford is planning to sue the county. He says,
“He should resign. He is not law enforcement.”
Source: CBS
