OCEAN CITY, Md.--Trial began for the first of four teenagers Monday morning, whose arrests in Ocean City after allegedly violating a smoking ordinance on the boardwalk sparked statewide outrage after being caught on video in June.
Monday’s testimony opened the trial of Taizier Griffin, who faces eight charges related to the June 6 incident.
Two police officers, Corwin Vincent (who arrested Griffin) and Joseph Laughlin (who tased Griffin)Â were called to the stand first, as dozens of people heard testimonies go back and forth.
The officers said Griffin and his group of friends were illegally vaping on the boardwalk and were asked on multiple occasions to stop and declined to show identification when asked to do so. Griffin's attorneys, William Murphy and Malcom Ruff, called three witnesses to the stand (Cori Ewing, Jasean Miranda and Jaimere Guy), as well as Griffin's younger brother Taydin, whom all agreed that the officers were not telling the truth.
A close friend of Taizier Griffin, Cori Ewing, who recorded one of the videos on June 6, testified saying her friend was not a threat and the officers were the ones who approached him first, grabbing his shirt and escalating the situation to an arrest. Furthermore, they testified saying Griffin was not even asked for his ID card or personal information (name, address and/or date of birth).
The defense attorneys said Ocean City law does not require individuals to specifically show an ID, they can state it verbally. Griffin's team said he was not asked for any sort of ID--verbal or written.Â
Still, officers said they felt threatened mostly because Griffin said he was "going to kill" them. Police later said that they conducted a search of the bag after Griffin was arrested and discovered a "fixed blade knife" inside.
Ewing said she recalled that as Griffin walked away, several other officers were called to the scene and began to yell at Griffin to take his backpack off and get down on his knees. The video shows Griffin slightly motioning to remove the backpack from one side of his shoulder, though his team said he didn't even have time to take his backpack off before being tased.
Griffin did not testify.
He faces a total of eight counts, including disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, second-degree assault and carrying a concealed weapon.
The case is not over, but Maryland Activist Carl Snowden said regardless of the outcome, this trial has already made a big difference.Â
"It's historical," he said. "This is the first time so many leaders from both the Western Shore and the Eastern Shore come together on a common agenda, and this common agenda is justice. The judge who's hearing this case clearly saw what's going on."
WRDE reached out to Ocean City Police Department, and as of Monday evening, they have not responded to a request for comment. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys declined interviews, since this case is still ongoing.
The judge overseeing the case, Judge W. Newton Jackson, postponed the trial until Jan. 5, when prosecutors and defense attorneys will give closing arguments.