Trooper involved in arrest of Philadelphia’s head of LGBT affairs ‘no longer employed’ by state police
By Paradise Afshar and Rebekah Riess, CNN
(CNN) — The trooper who arrested the head of Philadelphia’s LGBT affairs and her husband, an incident captured in a video circulated on social media, “is no longer employed” by Pennsylvania State Police, the agency says.
It was unclear whether the trooper, whose name has not been released, was let go or resigned, but the trooper was out effective Friday, Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Lt. Adam Reed told CNN. The agency is not releasing additional information.
The trooper had been placed on restricted duty following the March 2 incident and was not on patrol during the investigation of the incident.
Celena Morrison, executive director of the City’s Office of LGBT Affairs, recorded a portion of her husband Darius McLean’s arrest on the Vine Street Expressway, her sister told CNN at the time.
Morrison can be heard in the video repeatedly saying, “That is my husband,” while McLean is on the ground.
She’s then heard saying, “I work for the mayor.”
“It’s ‘cause I’m Black,” McLean says in the video.
The unnamed trooper responds, “It’s not ‘cause you’re Black.”
The officer then walks toward Morrison and the camera goes unstable.
In a news conference days after the incident, Morrison explained her comments, CNN affiliate WPVI reported.
“Fearing the worst was about to happen, I yelled out to the officer I work for the mayor multiple times hoping that would make him realize he was dealing with people he did not need to be afraid of,” she said.
Traffic stop was for ‘multiple’ vehicle code violations, report said
A police report of the incident said the two individuals were both resisting arrest at the time of the traffic stop.
The unnamed state trooper seen in the video initiated a traffic stop for the driver of a gray Infiniti sedan, according to the report, due to “multiple Vehicle Code violations.” A green Dodge sedan pulled up and parked behind the trooper’s vehicle shortly thereafter.
The person driving the Dodge became “verbally combative” when the trooper approached, the report said.
The driver of the Infiniti interfered with the arrest of the driver of the Dodge, the report said.
“Both individuals were subsequently arrested for Resisting Arrest, Obstruction of Justice, Disorderly Conduct and other related charges,” the report said.
The report does not list Morrison or McLean by name.
CNN’s Danny Freeman and Michelle Watson contributed to this report.
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