Attorneys: Diamond Reynolds not at scene of assault

Diamond Reynolds waits to enter the courthouse.
Diamond Reynolds waits in the security line before entering the Ramsey County Courthouse to finish her testimony in the trial of Jeronimo Yanez in St. Paul.
Evan Frost | MPR News file

Attorneys for Diamond Reynolds say she was not at the scene of a February assault and have filed a court motion to have charges against her dismissed.

Reynolds' notoriety as the girlfriend of Philando Castile, who was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop last year, has made her a target for law enforcement, attorney Michael Padden said.

Charges say Reynolds hit another woman with a hammer outside the woman's St. Paul home. However, in a motion to dismiss the charges filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court, Padden said Reynolds wasn't at the scene.

Cellphone tower data, Padden wrote, "confirms Reynolds was not present at the scene of the assault and was in fact located south of downtown St. Paul, which is where she said she was located at the critical time in question when interviewed by the police."

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Two other women, Dyamond Richardson and Chnika Blair, were also charged in connection with the incident. Padden said Richardson and Reynolds are friends.

When Castile was shot last July, Reynolds was sitting in the passenger seat next to him. She live streamed the aftermath on Facebook.

Reynolds testified in the trial of St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez, who was acquitted two weeks ago of manslaughter and weapons charges in the shooting.

Padden also said there's no evidence the victim of the assault suffered injuries caused by a dangerous weapon. Prosecutors have not yet responded to a request for comment.