Teen arrested at pool party was trying to calm girl

DALLAS — Adrian Martin, the young man arrested outside a McKinney swimming pool Friday, said it scared him when he saw police Cpl. Eric Casebolt draw his gun and point it at him.

Martin, 18, is seen in the viral YouTube video trying to calm a black teenage girl being restrained by Casebolt, who is white. Police had responded to calls about a fight at the Craig Ranch North Community Pool in the affluent area of western McKinney, north of Dallas.

Martin said he doesn't regret trying to approach the girl or running when Casebolt, 41, pulled his weapon.

Martin said he had been at the summer pool party for about an hour when police were called. "There was no drinking, no smoking, like other people have said there was. It was just a normal teenage party," he said.

But that event devolved into chaos after a fight between adults and kids at the pool. That's when police were called.

In the video Casebolt, a 10-year veteran who resigned from the McKinney police force Tuesday, is seen pushing a bikini-clad girl to the ground and brandishing his gun at other teens.

Martin, the only person arrested, was charged with interfering with police and evading arrest.

Martin and his lawyer maintain that Martin did nothing wrong, and that his only motive was to help calm the 15-year-old girl who was being aggressively subdued.

"So I shift to the side a little bit to get her to look at me in the face and say, 'Look: We're going to call your mom. It's all right,' because she's shouting, 'Call my momma! Call my momma!'"

At that point in the video, Casebolt is seen pulling out his gun. That's when Martin takes off running.

"Were his actions reasonable?" asked Martin's attorney Heath Harris. "Under the circumstances, I'd say they were reasonable.

"The only thing that made his actions different from anyone else is the unfortunate fact that he was bumped from behind, which brought him a little closer to the officer," Harris said. "But if you watch the video, you see he immediately backtracks and gains distance between the officer."

McKinney Police Chief Greg Conley said Tuesday that charges against Martin have been dropped.

Contributing: The Associated Press