Record

Draft reporter’s record

City of Amarillo v. Ji-woo Park · generated from the electronic recording for the official court reporter

Draft for the reporter
This is a working draft, laid out in 25 numbered lines per page. On appeal, the official court reporter transcribes from the recording, resolves every bracketed review note and certifies the record. Machine translations and interpreter checks appear in brackets and are not part of the certified record.
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · PREPARED FROM ELECTRONIC RECORDING
CITATION NO. A-26-104105
CITY OF AMARILLO
v.
JI-WOO PARK
IN THE MUNICIPAL COURT OF RECORD
CITY OF AMARILLO, TEXAS
REPORTER’S RECORD
JURY TRIAL

On Friday, October 2, 2026, the above-styled and numbered cause came on to be heard before the Honorable Carolyn Brandt, Judge Presiding, in Courtroom 1, Amarillo, Texas. Proceedings were recorded by electronic recording device.

APPEARANCES:
Daniel Okoro, Assistant City Attorney
Rebecca Tate, Defense counsel
Soo-ah Lim, Licensed court interpreter (Korean)

INDEX
PROCEEDINGS
Voir dire3
Jury selection3
Opening statements3
State's case3
Defense's case4
Closing arguments6
Charge of the court6
Deliberation6
WITNESSES
Ji-woo Parkthrough interpreter
Officer Maria Esparza
EXHIBITS
State's Exhibit 1: Scale diagram of the Georgia Street and I-40 frontage road intersection4 Admitted
State's Exhibit 2: Still frame from Officer Esparza’s dash camera, 7:12:44 a.m.4 Admitted
Defense Exhibit A: Whiteboard drawing by the defendant showing the truck behind his car5 Admitted
3
  1. 1(Proceedings recorded electronically. Times are Central.)
  2. 2
  3. 3VOIR DIRE10:02:00 AM
  4. 4 THE COURT: We're on the record in City of Amarillo versus Ji-woo10:02:10 AM
  5. 5Park, citation A-26-104105. The venire panel is seated. Ms.
  6. 6Tate, Mr. Okoro, you may begin voir dire.
  7. 7 MS. TATE: Ms. Tran, juror number three. Have you or anyone in10:06:40 AM
  8. 8your family ever had to rely on an interpreter?
  9. 9 VENIREPERSON TRAN: Yes. My parents did, when I was younger. I10:06:48 AM
  10. 10know how hard it is.
  11. 11[Speaker identified from the record, high confidence.]
  12. 12 MR. OKORO: Mr. Castillo, number four. Do you drive through10:09:12 AM
  13. 13Georgia and I-40 often?
  14. 14 VENIREPERSON CASTILLO: Every day, on my way to work.10:09:18 AM
  15. 15[Speaker identified from the record, high confidence.]
  16. 16 MR. OKORO: Would that make it hard for you to be fair to either10:09:24 AM
  17. 17side?
  18. 18 VENIREPERSON CASTILLO: No. I can be fair.10:09:29 AM
  19. 19[Speaker identified from the record, medium confidence.]
  20. 20
  21. 21JURY SELECTION10:20:00 AM
  22. 22
  23. 23OPENING STATEMENTS10:28:00 AM
  24. 24
  25. 25STATE'S CASE10:33:00 AM
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Ji-woo Park
4
  1. 1 MR. OKORO: The City calls Officer Maria Esparza.10:33:15 AM
  2. 2 MR. OKORO: Officer Esparza, what did you see at 7:12 that10:34:02 AM
  3. 3morning?
  4. 4 OFFICER ESPARZA: A white Hyundai Sonata entered the intersection10:34:08 AM
  5. 5northbound on Georgia after the signal had turned red. I was
  6. 6stopped at the light on the frontage road with a clear view.
  7. 7 MR. OKORO: I'm showing you State's Exhibit 1. Is this a fair10:36:10 AM
  8. 8diagram of that intersection?
  9. 9(State's Exhibit 1 offered.)10:36:10 AM
  10. 10 OFFICER ESPARZA: Yes, it is.10:36:16 AM
  11. 11(State's Exhibit 2 offered.)10:39:05 AM
  12. 12
  13. 13DEFENSE'S CASE10:52:00 AM
  14. 14 MS. TATE: Mr. Park, please tell the jury what happened as you10:52:30 AM
  15. 15approached the intersection of Georgia and I-40.
  16. 16 THE INTERPRETER (in Korean): 박 선생님, 조지아 스트리트와 40번 주간 고속도로 교차로에10:52:38 AM
  17. 17접근했을 때 무슨 일이 있었는지 배심원단에게 말씀해 주십시오.
  18. 18[Machine translation for reporter review: Mr. Park, please tell
  19. 19 the jury what happened when you approached the intersection of
  20. 20 Georgia Street and Interstate 40.]
  21. 21 THE DEFENDANT (in Korean): 신호등이 노란불로 바뀌었습니다. 뒤에 트럭이 아주 가까이 따라오고10:52:47 AM
  22. 22있어서 급정거하면 위험하다고 생각했습니다. 그래서 그냥 지나갔습니다.
  23. 23[Machine translation for reporter review: The light changed to
  24. 24 yellow. A truck was following very closely behind me, so I
  25. 25 thought stopping suddenly would be dangerous. So I just went
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Ji-woo Park
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  1. 1 through.]
  2. 2 THE INTERPRETER: The light turned yellow. A truck was following10:52:59 AM
  3. 3very close behind me, so I thought it would be dangerous to
  4. 4brake hard. So I went through.
  5. 5 MS. TATE: Was the light red when you entered the intersection?10:53:10 AM
  6. 6 THE INTERPRETER (in Korean): 교차로에 진입했을 때 신호가 빨간불이었습니까?10:53:15 AM
  7. 7[Machine translation for reporter review: Was the signal red
  8. 8 when you entered the intersection?]
  9. 9 THE DEFENDANT (in Korean): 아니요, 노란불이었습니다. 제가 교차로 한가운데 있을 때 빨간불로10:53:20 AM
  10. 10바뀌었습니다.
  11. 11[Machine translation for reporter review: No, it was yellow. It
  12. 12 turned red when I was in the middle of the intersection.]
  13. 13 THE INTERPRETER: No, it was yellow. It turned red while I was in10:53:28 AM
  14. 14the intersection.
  15. 15 MS. TATE: Your Honor, the defense offers Defense Exhibit A, the10:58:30 AM
  16. 16drawing Mr. Park just made on the whiteboard.
  17. 17(Defense Exhibit A offered.)10:58:30 AM
  18. 18 MR. OKORO: Mr. Park, isn't it true you told Officer Esparza that11:01:05 AM
  19. 19you didn't see the light?
  20. 20 THE INTERPRETER (in Korean): 박 선생님, 에스파르자 경관에게 신호를 못 봤다고 말씀하신 것이11:01:13 AM
  21. 21사실 아닙니까?
  22. 22[Machine translation for reporter review: Mr. Park, isn't it
  23. 23 true that you told Officer Esparza you didn't see the signal?]
  24. 24 THE DEFENDANT (in Korean): 그렇게 말한 것 같습니다. 그때는 너무 당황해서 영어로 설명을 잘11:01:21 AM
  25. 25못했습니다.
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  1. 1[Machine translation for reporter review: I think I said that.
  2. 2 At the time I was so flustered that I could not explain well in
  3. 3 English.]
  4. 4 THE INTERPRETER: I think I said that. I was very nervous and11:01:30 AM
  5. 5couldn't explain well in English.
  6. 6
  7. 7CLOSING ARGUMENTS11:08:00 AM
  8. 8
  9. 9CHARGE OF THE COURT11:15:00 AM
  10. 10 THE COURT: Members of the jury, you will now retire to the jury11:19:40 AM
  11. 11room to deliberate. The exhibits admitted into evidence will be
  12. 12available to you on the jury room display.
  13. 13
  14. 14DELIBERATION11:20:00 AM
  15. 15
  16. 16(End of recorded proceedings.)
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
UNCERTIFIED DRAFT · NOT FOR FILING · City of Amarillo v. Ji-woo Park