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Jonathan Majors’ accuser Grace Jabbari testifies in assault trial
NEW YORK — Jonathan Majors was back in court Tuesday, facing the woman accusing him of assault.
Grace Jabbari, 30, was on the stand, detailing how they met on the set of the movie “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” She told jurors the relationship intensified quickly before it became abusive.
As CBS New York’s Jessica Moore reports, Jabbari sobbed as she told the jury Majors, 34, threw glass candles at her head when she asked if he was OK, didn’t speak to her for days because she went to a music festival, and berated her for mentioning an ex-boyfriend. Testimony stopped at one point because she was overcome with emotions.
The jury heard a recording of Majors yelling at Jabbari, calling himself a great man and telling her he needed a woman like Michelle Obama.
Prosecutor’s say Jabbari’s testimony paints a picture of systemic abuse by Majors that culminated with the events of March 25, 2023, in Chelsea.
Majors faces two charges of assault in the third degree, as well as harassment and aggravated harassment.
What happened during the alleged domestic assault?
Majors was accused of hitting Jabbari during in the back of a chauffeured SUV back in March and then shoving her back into the car after they had gotten out. Jabbari claimed she tried to grab Majors’ phone after she saw a text message from another woman that said, “Wish I was kissing you right now.”
Prosecutors say as he tried to retrieve his phone from her, Majors then slapped Jabbari, fractured her finger, twisted her right arm behind her back and struck her right ear, causing her to bleed. After they got out of the vehicle, he allegedly pushed her back inside, causing her to fall backward.
Jabbari was treated at a hospital for minor injuries to her head and neck, police said. She was granted a temporary order of protection.
Majors and his attorney have claimed Jabbari was the one who attacked him, saying she was having an “emotional crisis” and Majors was a victim defending himself. His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said she has video evidence showing, “irrefutable evidence that the woman is lying, including video proof showing nothing happened, especially not where she claimed.”
Choudhry said Majors was the only person who emerged bloody from the car after Jabbari scratched him. The defense also argued Jabbari spent the next few hours partying with strangers, showing no signs of physical injury.
Why was Jabbari arrested and released?
Majors was arrested on March 25 on suspicion of strangulation, assault and harassment. Police responded to a 911 call for a domestic dispute around 11:14 a.m. at an apartment in Chelsea.
Officers said they determined Majors and Jabbari were involved in a domestic dispute, and they arrested Majors at the scene. He claimed Jabbari had attacked him.
Majors was released on his own recognizance the same day, before he was arraigned the following day.
Six months later, police arrested Jabbari on charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief.
Majors’ attorney had provided video evidence that she claimed showed Jabbari was responsible for the assault. Police opened an investigation into Jabbari based on a cross-complaint filed by Majors.
Hours later, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office dropped the charges, saying the office “has officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit.”
Prosecutors pointed to “concerning” discrepancies in the evidence handed over by Majors’ attorney, including a witness who said a statement provided by him was false. The witness was quoted saying he watched Majors “gently” place Jabbari into the car after she slapped him. He said he never wrote that statement, according to the district attorney’s office.
“The matter is now closed and sealed,” said Doug Cohen, a press secretary for the prosecutor’s office.
What can we expect during trial?
The trial began Wednesday, Nov. 29 with Judge Michael Gaffey presiding over the case.
Prosecutors Kelli Galloway and Michael Perez said the Manhattan District Attorney’s office plans to present 14 witnesses and they would need six days to present their case.
Before opening statements Monday, both sides agreed to consolidate the charges Majors is facing, so the jury can more easily understand and make a decision.
The judge also granted a request to show the jury police body camera video of Jabbari but without audio. The video was taken after the alleged altercation as she was speaking with officers.
Majors’ attorney will cross-examine Jabbari on Wednesday morning. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
If convicted, Majors could spend up to one year in prison.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.