Dramatic testimony in the preliminary hearing against Jett McBride, the man accused of intentionally hitting a PG&E worker earlier this month. A witness named "Kai" has since become an internet sensation. He took the stand Thursday.
The case stems from one of the craziest accidents ever, but because of the internet, people all around the country only know one thing: Kai, a homeless guy with a hatchet, apparently saved the day.
No sign of a hatchet Thursday in Fresno County Court, as the man known as Kai takes the stand to testify against McBride. The antics begin when he raises his left hand.
During his two hours of testimony, Kai, whose real name is Caleb McGillivary, recounts what happened leading up to the accident. While he hitch-hiked in the passenger's seat of Mcbride's car, they stopped in the Tower District to buy and smoke marijuana.
Kai says just before the accident, McBride proudly told him that he raped a girl in another country.
“He's like, ‘Well I've come to realize I’m Jesus Christ and I can get away with anything I want to. Watch this.’ And there's a whole crew of construction people in front of me and most of them jumped aside and one pinned underneath,” said Kai.
While the victim was pinned between two vehicles, Kai says McBride pulled on the victim's leg. Other witnesses tried to step in, but McBride turned on them. That's when Kai grabbed a hatchet, something he would later become famous for.
“So I smashed him again, and he's still holding onto her hair so I smashed him really hard,” said Kai.
Meanwhile, PG&E worker Rayshawn Neely was in agony. He tried to describe it during his testimony Thursday afternoon.
“You know, they give you a scale of 0 to 10, it was probably about a 15,” said Neely.
Neely suffered six broken bones in his leg and foot and still can't walk. At points, McBride was seen wiping away tears. As Neely wheeled out of the courtroom, McBride apologized.
The preliminary hearing will finish up tomorrow, then the judge will decide if there's enough evidence for a trial.
