Former Fresno city council member and FCC professor Brian Calhoun is on trial for misdemeanor battery.
Kevynn Gomez faced the man she says attacked her and laid out the case against him. The 20-year-old admits to cursing at Calhoun as she left a classroom because he had interrupted a test. She says the 69-year-old then grabbed her arm. Gomez says she tried to fight her way out.
"He was pulling me towards the classroom and that is when I hit him in the face," she said.
"Why did you do that?" asked prosecutor Mike Brummel.
"Because I wanted to get free," Gomez said.
But Gomez said Calhoun pinned her against a wall and threw her to the ground before other people pulled him off. Calhoun's defense attorney claims his client was just doing his duty after she cursed at him -- he just wanted to report her to school administrators.
"His intent was simply to obtain her name so that he could report her for her disruptive and inappropriate and disgusting behavior," said Roger Nuttall.
Nuttall said Calhoun never meant to hurt Gomez and only responded in self-defense because she punched him and broke his tooth and his glasses. But legal analyst Ralph Torres says it may come down to whether Calhoun made the first physical contact.
"The mere fact that somebody cusses at you or says something you don't like is not enough to put your hands on her and they're going to have to deal with that as a defense," Torres said.
11 witnesses described the scene to police, including two students who testified Wednesday. Both said Calhoun body slammed Gomez.
Calhoun is expected to take the stand in his own defense.
