The May 2004 incident started with Curtis' complaint that Vanessa Arnold and Lorenzo Castillo were talking during a showing of "Troy," according to Betty Jo Searle, who was 15 at the time.

As the final credits were rolling, Curtis demanded that Castillo pay for his tickets, then placed him under arrest when he refused, Searle said. When she and her date asked if they could help, their offer allegedly was rejected.

"He flashed his badge and said we needed to walk away," Searle said.

Arnold began saying "no, no" and touched the officer on the arm as he led Castillo to the steps, she said.

Then, she said, Curtis took hold of Arnold's arms, pulled her down from the step above him "and just dropped her." The woman fell down three steps, hitting her head and her back, Searle said.

The testimony came in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City, where a jury is hearing a lawsuit brought by Arnold, now 26, accusing Curtis of using excessive force and seeking unspecified damages. The 110-pound woman alleges she lost the vision in her right eye and has severe headaches from being slammed onto the stairs.

Castillo, who was released outside the theater, claimed false arrest and also sued. He settled out of court.

Curtis says Castillo approached him with fists clenched, prompting him to make an arrest to defuse the situation. He also says Arnold grabbed him around the waist and fell when he turned.

But Searle insisted she never saw Castillo clench his fists or Arnold grab Curtis. The pair talked during the previews but not during the movie itself, she said.

Also testifying Thursday was ophthalmologist Scott Lohner, who said Arnold has good vision in her right eye, and psychiatrist Noel Gardner, who said she is faking her injuries.

Gardner backed up his opinion with a surveillance video shot by a defense investigator that shows Arnold climbing into a truck and walking ahead of her mother without any guidance.

pmanson@sltrib.com