'The trial of the 'Trump Train' begins with a former Democratic legislator stating she felt like a 'prisoner'.'

A group of Trump supporters who surrounded a Biden-Harris campaign bus on a busy Texas interstate days before the 2020 presidential election are being sued for political intimidation in a federal civil case that began Monday.

In June 2021, a group of vehicles labeled as a "Trump Train" participated in an organized effort to intimidate people on a bus, resulting in the cancellation of the campaign's remaining events in Texas, the plaintiffs claimed in their lawsuit. However, the defendants argued that they were merely expressing their support for Trump in a loud manner, as stated by their attorney.

The group is accused of trying to run the bus off the road on Interstate 35, as seen in a video where a "Trump Train" pickup truck and a Biden campaign SUV collided while following the bus.

According to Davis, who testified on Monday, she felt overwhelmed with fear and anxiety on a day that was unlike any she had encountered during her campaigning.

According to the New York Times, Davis stated, "I felt like I was being held captive in a way."

A video from Oct. 30, 2020, depicts a group of cars and pickup trucks displaying Trump 2020 flags while driving alongside the Biden campaign bus on a highway and obstructing its path at certain points.

A 42-minute video Davis shot that day was shown in court Monday.

"If the roles were reversed, we'd all be arrested and thrown up against the side of a car."

In his opening statement, Samuel Hall stated that the plaintiffs were pursued and encircled by the group of Trump supporters.

"Hall stated that they were literally driven out of town and that this wasn't peaceful patriotism. It doesn't belong in Texas or America and has consequences."

The defense maintained that the drivers did not collaborate against the Biden-Harris campaign bus and instead joined the train as if it were a celebration. Additionally, they asserted that the bus had several chances to leave the highway during its journey from San Antonio to Austin.

Francisco Canseco, an attorney, stated that the group was enthusiastic and aimed to promote and back a specific candidate through boisterous means.

During the trial, Canseco stated that his clients had acted lawfully, exercising their right to free speech, without violating the rights of those on the bus.

"Canseco stated that it is a constitutional issue and the real question is about who has the greater right to speak on behalf of their candidate."

The plaintiffs, including the bus driver, campaign volunteer, and staffer, claim that Trump supporters are responsible for assault and intimidation tactics, which violate state law and the federal Enforcement Act of 1871, also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act. This law was enacted by Congress during the Reconstruction Era to protect the rights of Black men to vote by prohibiting political violence.

READ THE COMPLAINT FILED IN JUNE 2021 – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

The caravan's passengers believed that Kamala Harris, a vice presidential candidate at the time, was on board, though she was not.

According to the lawsuit, a group of dozens of individuals in at least forty vehicles with flags supporting then-president and presidential candidate Donald J. Trump formed a self-labeled 'Trump Train' on Texas's main highway with the intention of intimidating and terrifying a group based on their political views, specifically their support for a different presidential campaign.

"The objective of this endeavor was to intimidate backers of the then-Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and to prevent them from openly supporting their chosen candidate in Texas."

A half-dozen defendants in the case requested the case be dismissed before trial, arguing that the law did not apply to their case. However, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman, an Obama appointee, denied that motion.

"In his order last month, Pitman stated that while the First Amendment safeguards political advocacy, the circumstances of this case surpass protected expressive conduct. The jury could conclude that the defendants illegally collaborated and drove recklessly, putting the plaintiffs in danger or causing harm."

The defendants claim that a campaign staff member in a white SUV caused the collision on the highway, despite video evidence showing the SUV weaving in and out of lanes leading up to the incident.

When the bus passed through San Marcos, about 30 miles southwest of Austin, a collision occurred and allegedly aggressive behavior was displayed by the convoy, which had dropped off its police escort.

The plaintiffs claimed they contacted 911 for police assistance and, in a previous lawsuit, they alleged that the San Marcos Police Department violated the Ku Klux Klan Act by not providing a police escort after several 911 calls were made and a bus passenger stated his life was in danger.

In 2023, San Marcos settled a lawsuit for $175,000 and mandated law enforcement training on responding to political violence, after it was accused that officers privately laughed and joked about emergency calls.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.