Outside East Hampton Town Justice Court last Thursday, friends and family members of David Peralta were seen and heard shouting words of support in Spanish. "David, amigo, estamos contigo" ("David, friend, we are with you"); "Que queremos? Justicia! Cuando? Ahora!" ("What do we want? Justice! When? Now!")
Minutes earlier, inside the courthouse, Justice Steven Tekulsky was presiding over a case in which 31-year-old Charles Streep is charged with felony assault following an alleged road rage altercation in East Hampton Village on Aug. 24. The incident ended in emergency surgery for Mr. Peralta, 18, of Springs.
"This case is not being handled any differently than any other case," Justice Tekulsky told Mr. Peralta's supporters, some of whom have expressed confusion over the court process.
Last Thursday's court session was a routine meeting of attorneys, Justice Tekulsky explained. The defendant was not required to be present at the conference. Edmond Chakmakian, Mr. Peralta's lawyer, was in the courtroom. Andrew Weinstein, who represents Mr. Streep, attended by way of video conference. The two attorneys agreed to a short adjournment, until this morning at 9. A criminal trial is expected eventually; a civil complaint has been filed in New York City.
"Things don't get resolved in a day," Mr. Chakmakian told the group outside the courthouse. "There's no one to blame [for the delay]. The process has to take its time."
On Tuesday, Mr. Chakmakian released video footage of the incident taken from surveillance cameras at the Chase Bank, including two different views of the altercation. In a third video, Mr. Streep can be seen leaving the parking lot where the incident took place, driving the wrong way out of a drive-in lane.
In a message to The Star, Mr. Chakmakian said that "the video confirms exactly what the detective described in the felony complaint."
Mr. Weinstein declined to comment Tuesday after the videos were released. On Sunday, he had repeated his earlier statement that "Mr. Streep is innocent of these charges."
"As we stated previously, we believe that incontrovertible videotape evidence in this case clearly proves that Mr. Peralta incurred his head injury in the process of lifting Mr. Streep into the air and slamming him to the ground, not the other way around. . . . The truth will come out. It always does," Mr. Weinstein said in a joint statement with Brian DeSesa, who is also representing Mr. Streep. "We remain confident that a full, fair, and impartial review of the evidence in the case will establish that Mr. Streep did not commit either of the crimes with which he has been charged."
