‘Saved by the Bell’ Star Dustin Diamond at Stabbing Trial: ‘I Figured It Would Take the Fight Out of the People’

‘Saved by the Bell’ Star Dustin Diamond at Stabbing Trial: ‘I Figured It Would Take the Fight Out of the People’

Former “Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond testified during his trial on Friday that he didn’t intentionally stab anybody during a Christmas Day altercation in a Wisconsin bar, saying that he only pulled his knife because he “figured it would take the fight out of the people,” the Associated Press reported.

The 38-year-old actor, best known for playing Samuel “Screech” Powers on the ’90s teen sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” told a court in Wisconsin that patrons had been harassing him and his girlfriend, Amanda Schutz, prior to the fight, and that he “felt like we were being set up for antagonistic purposes.”

Diamond is accused of stabbing Casey Smet, 25, during the brawl in a Port Washington, Wisconsin, bar. Charged with reckless endangerment of public safety, Diamond has pleaded not guilty; he faces 10 years in prison if convicted.

See video: 'Saved by the Bell' Alum Dustin Diamond Claims Self Defense in Christmas Eve Stabbing

On Thursday, Smet testified that he didn’t realize that he had been stabbed until after the melee while he was talking to police. During his testimony on Friday, Diamond suggested that Smet was injured while grabbing at Diamond.

“Casey didn’t even know he was injured, so how would I?” Diamond told the jury.

During Friday’s testimony, Diamond told the court that after seeing Schutz’s nose “pouring blood” from the fight he became concerned and attempted to protect her.

See video: Dustin Diamond Regrets 'Saved By the Bell' Book; Claims 'Celebrity Fit Club' Role Was Scripted

The previous day during the trial, Bethany Ward admitted to punching Schutz in the face while they were arguing, but said Schutz had started the fight.

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'Saved by the Bell' Alum Dustin Diamond Claims Self Defense in Christmas Eve Stabbing (Video)