March 05, 2024
Thom Carroll/For PhillyVoice
The Pennsylvania State Police trooper who arrested Celena Morrison, executive director of the city's Office of LGBT Affairs, and her husband Darius McLean, was placed on administrative duty while his conduct during the incident is investigated by internal affairs.
The Pennsylvania State Police trooper who arrested Philadelphia's top LGBT Affairs official and her husband on I-76 has been placed on restricted duty while his conduct during the incident is investigated by internal affairs.
Celena Morrison, the executive director of the city's Office of LGBT Affairs, and her husband, Darius McLean, the chief operating officer of the William Way LGBT Community Center, were arrested Saturday morning after a traffic stop. A video that shows a portion of the confrontation spread on social media, prompting Mayor Cherelle Parker and others to express their concerns. The officer has not been identified.
According to police, Morrison was pulled over for various vehicle code violations, including tinted windows, driving with an expired registration and driving too close to another vehicle. After she stopped, McLean pulled his car over behind the state trooper.
McLean allegedly became "verbally combative" when the officer approached and refused to comply with the officer's orders, police said. When the officer attempted to arrest McLean, Morrison allegedly interfered.
The video, filmed by Morrison, shows the officer attempting to handcuff McLean as he lies on the side of the road. Morrison can heard shouting that McLean is her husband and that she works for the mayor. The officer then approaches Morrison, the video pans upward and Morrison can be heard saying "he just punched me."
McLean and Morrison were released from custody Saturday, but have not been charged. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is investigating the entire incident, the Inquirer reported. The officer was not wearing a body camera because state troopers in Philadelphia have not yet been outfitted with them due to delays caused by "logistics and making the IT work," State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris told the newspaper.
State police said they would expedite the rollout over the next eight weeks.
Reactions to the incident continue to pour in, with Mike Lee of the ACLU of Pennsylvania telling CBS News Philadelphia that it is another example of "Black and brown people as well as trans and queer individuals" being more likely to be stopped police. Lee called for transparency and de-escalation strategies.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, which represents 4,300 active and retired state troopers, declined to comment beyond stating that it was "aware of Saturday’s incident" and adding "Pennsylvania state troopers go to work prepared to lay down their lives for their fellow citizens."
