New drone footage shows car driving into Black Lives Matter protester in San Luis Obispo

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- New drone footage released by a defense attorney Tuesday shows a car hitting a Black Lives Matter protester during a July 2020 demonstration in San Luis Obispo.

Attorney Vincent Barrientos released the video as part of his defense of Sam Grocott, who was arrested after the protest.

The lawyer says he is demanding the arrest of the BMW driver who hit Grocott back in July 2020 during the demonstration which ended up blocking traffic on Highway 101.

In the video footage, a driver surrounded by protesters is seen backing up and then driving into a demonstrator wearing a yellow shirt. That protester was identified as Grocott, 25. The video then shows the driver speeding off on Highway 101.

In the letter to CHP Captain Greg Klingberg, Barrientos demands the arrest of the BMW driver for assault with a deadly weapon.

In Barrientos' letter, he says Klingberg lied to the public and misrepresented facts regarding what happened during the protest.

Investigators previously said some protesters damaged the hood of a car.

Barrientos says the video shows that his client, Grocott, ended up on the hood of the car when the driver bumped into him.

Barrientos finishes the letter asking Klingberg to "straighten the record" and says if he is unwilling to "act with integrity," he should resign immediately.

Newschannel reached out to CHP San Luis Obispo for a comment and the department said it "does not comment on pending litigation".

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office released the following statement in response to the letter:

"The District Attorney’s office is confident that the facts and circumstances surrounding Mr. Grocott’s arrest will be fully and fairly revealed in court once the matter is tried to a jury of our community members. The District Attorney will not respond to the non-fact based rhetoric of Mr. Grocott’s counsel. In fact, the California Rules of Professional Conduct prohibit any attorney involved in the litigation of a case from making a statement the attorney reasonably knows will be disseminated to the public and that has a substantial likelihood of prejudicing the case. This includes not only statements by an individual attorney, but the public release of evidence outside of the court process that poses the same threat to due process of law. The rules of professional responsibility are intended to assure the fair application and due process of law for all parties. These rules apply equally to prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys."

San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office

Sam Grocott is one of several people charged in the Black Lives Matter protest on July 21, 2020. Protest organizer, Tianna Arata, was also arrested and charged. Her case made national headlines. In December, a judge disqualified the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney, Dan Dow, from Arata's case. That judge cited a conflict of interest.