Current:Home > StocksPhiladelphia LGBTQ leaders arrested in traffic stop the mayor calls ‘concerning’-InfoLens
Philadelphia LGBTQ leaders arrested in traffic stop the mayor calls ‘concerning’
View Date:2024-12-23 10:31:20
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The arrest of two of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ leaders by a state trooper during a fraught highway traffic stop is “very concerning,” the city’s mayor said after a video showing some of what happened circulated on social media.
Celena Morrison leads the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs and is a top aide to Mayor Cherelle Parker. Morrison’s husband, Darius McLean, runs a community center. Both are Black, while the Pennsylvania state trooper appears to be white.
“I don’t know why he’s doing this,” McLean cries to his wife Saturday morning as she records him being handcuffed, lying on his side, on the shoulder of the elevated highway during a rainstorm. Cars pass by a few feet away.
“It’s ‘cause I’m Black,” McLean says.
“It’s not ’cause you’re Black,” replies the trooper, who leaves McLean handcuffed on the highway shoulder and then moves to arrest Morrison.
“Turn around! Give me your hands or you’re getting Tased!” the trooper tells her as she says she works for the mayor. She apparently drops the phone at that point, and the video shows only the gray sky above.
Both Morrison, 51, and McLean, 35, were detained on obstruction and resisting arrest charges after the 9 a.m. traffic stop. However, District Attorney Larry Krasner did not immediately file the charges while he investigates.
“A video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident is very concerning to me,” the mayor said in a statement, adding that she will wait until the investigation concludes before saying more.
State police, which patrol the state highway that cuts through the city, declined to identify the trooper, but said he was put on restrictive duty Monday and will not be on patrol while the incident is investigated. The trooper’s patrol unit does not yet have body cameras, and the agency declined to release dashboard camera video.
In the cellphone video posted online, the trooper says he stopped Morrison for tailgating and not having lights on. McLean, chief operating officer of the William Way LGBT Community Center, apparently pulled over in a second vehicle and was arrested after allegedly arguing with the officer.
“Do you want to get tased? Put your hands behind your back!” the trooper shouts as he stands over him on the roadway.
“They are! They are!” McLean cries.
“I don’t know who you are so I don’t need someone rolling up on me,” the trooper says.
“That is my husband ... That’s my husband, please,” Morrison can be heard saying out of view. “I work for the mayor. I work for the mayor.”
Morrison, who is transgender, has held the position since 2020, staying on when Parker took office in January.
Chris Bartlett, executive director of the William Way Center, called the traffic stop “unjust” in a post on the group’s social media site and said the center “was working with officials to remedy this terrible situation.”
veryGood! (42)
Related
- California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
- 1 in 5 seniors still work — and they're happier than younger workers
- Why more women live in major East Coast counties while men outnumber them in the West
- Brazil’s Congress overrides president’s veto to reinstate legislation threatening Indigenous rights
- Florida State can't afford to fire Mike Norvell -- and can't afford to keep him
- Weird, wild and wonderful stories of joy from 2023
- Moving South, Black Americans Are Weathering Climate Change
- Coca-Cola recalled 2,000 Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta cases due to possible contamination
- Charles Hanover: A Summary of the UK Stock Market in 2023
- Oprah Winfrey portrait revealed at National Portrait Gallery
Ranking
- When is 'The Golden Bachelorette' finale? Date, time, where to watch Joan Vassos' big decision
- These 18 Trendy Gifts Will Cement Your Status As The Cool Sibling Once & For All
- Liberals seek ouster from Wisconsin judicial ethics panel of Trump lawyer who advised fake electors
- You can watch 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' for free this weekend. Here's how to stream it.
- Natural gas flares sparked 2 wildfires in North Dakota, state agency says
- Elon Musk plans to launch a university in Austin, Texas
- Officer shoots, kills 2 dogs attacking man at Ohio golf course, man also shot: Police
- Minnesota man reaches plea deal for his role in fatal carjacking in Minneapolis
Recommendation
-
Keke Palmer Says Ryan Murphy “Ripped” Into Her Over Scream Queens Schedule
-
Catholics in Sacramento and worldwide celebrate Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
-
Driving for work will pay more next year after IRS boosts 2024 mileage rate
-
AP Week in Pictures: Latin America and Caribbean
-
Brianna LaPaglia Reacts to Rumors Dave Portnoy Paid Her $10 Million for a Zach Bryan Tell-All
-
2-year-old Virginia girl dies after accidentally shooting herself at Hampton home: Police
-
How to watch 'Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God,' the docuseries everyone is talking about
-
New Mexico extends ban on oil and gas leasing around Chaco park, an area sacred to Native Americans