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Woman Videotaped Being Beaten By CHP Officer Receives $1.5 Million Settlement, Officer Resigns
A woman who was videotaped being repeatedly punched by a California Highway Patrol officer on the side of a Los Angeles freeway reached a $1.5 settlement with the department on Wednesday.
CHP Officer Daniel Andrew, the officer in question, will also resign from his position, CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement, according to KPCC. Soon after the July 1 beating, the CHP had stripped Andrew of his peace officer duties and put him on paid administrative leave. They said that he could face "potentially serious charges." Los Angeles prosecutors are deciding on whether to charge Andrew with a crime.
Farrow said that a special-needs trust would be set up for Marlene Pinnock's settlement that would "provide a mechanism for her long-term care." The 51-year-old woman brought a civil rights lawsuit against the law enforcement agency, claiming police brutality.
"When this incident occurred, I promised that I would look into it and vowed a swift resolution," Farrow's statement said. "Today, we have worked constructively to reach a settlement agreement that is satisfactory to all parties involved."
In a cell phone video recorded by a passing driver by the La Brea onramp of the 10 Freeway on July 1, Andrew was seen grabbing Pinnock, throwing her to the ground, and then unleashing a series of blows to Pinnock's head and upper body while pinning her to the ground. The video gained national attention when the video was uploaded to YouTube.
There have been differing stories to what led to the incident. Andrew said he was trying to protect Pinnock after drivers reported that a woman was wandering barefoot on the side of the freeway. He said that she became "physically combative." However, Pinnock said she didn't do anything to provoke the attack, and that she was just walking around looking for a place to sleep for the night.
Pinnock, who said she's been homeless for five years, was hospitalized after the incident and placed on a psychiatric hold.
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“I was scared for my life, cause he just wouldn’t stop beating me,” Pinnock told KTLA last month. “I didn’t know when he was going to stop.”
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