Without wasting any time, Miami-Dade Police Det. Carlos Castillo was on the stand Wednesday talking about what happened to him in April 2010. He also showed a couple of his surgery scars.
"I have a scar from my chest line down to my stomach," he said. "Based on my barber cutting my hair, I have a dent on the top of my head."
Castillo, on the force for 18 years, was hit in the head with a cinder block. He was hit so hard, it broke in half. Then, he was beaten and run over with his own patrol car twice, according to authorities.
The jury saw what remained of the cinder block in court Wednesday afternoon.
The then-37-year-old nearly died, allegedly at the hands of Michael Paul Robertson, then 33, whose trial began Wednesday. His defense team says there isn't enough evidence to convict Robertson, who is now 36.
Castillo, who is now 40, said he was pulling Robertson over in Liberty City. Robertson ran, leaving his girlfriend behind, but he came back – and that's when the attack happened, according to Castillo.
"While I was waiting for backup to arrive. The driver of the vehicle took off running," Castillo said. "At the time, I don't know if he's armed, or which direction he's going to."
After that, Castillo doesn't remember much.
More than three years later, the jury looked at pictures of Castillo's injuries and his badge that held a picture of his two daughters.
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Robertson is facing many charges, including attempted murder of a law enforcement officer.\
Prosecutors say they have DNA of Robertson in the police car.
