Judge studies video in Marine weapons case

[unhappycamper]

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/sep/09/tahmooressi-hearing-surveillance-video/?st

Judge studies video in Marine weapons case
By Sandra Dibble
2:20 p.m.Sept. 9, 2014Updated8:46 p.m.

TIJUANA — Footage from Mexican Customs surveillance cameras at the El Chaparral border crossing was presented to a federal judge on Tuesday in Tijuana in the trial of Andrew Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine veteran who was arrested on March 31 as he drove into Mexico with three loaded firearms and more than 400 rounds of ammunition.

Reporters were barred from the hearing before Judge Victor Luna Escobedo of the Sixth District Court. Fernando Benitez, Tahmooressi’s defense attorney, said the plan for Tuesday afternoon was to review video of Tahmooressi driving across at El Chaparral, along with images showing inspections of his vehicle. The proceedings continued into the night.

“The videos are not very close up, they have no audio, a lot of things will be subject to conjecture,” Benitez said. “But other things are very clear.”

A total of 18 surveillance cameras were operating that night at the crossing, Benitez said, but he and government prosecutors agreed to show only the relevant excerpts to the court. Benitez hopes to use the video to strengthen Tahmooressi’s account of the arrest, and refute some allegations by Mexican Customs.