Pennsylvania state trooper who arrested couple during traffic stop on I-76 no longer works for PSP
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Pennsylvania state trooper involved in a traffic stop on Interstate 76 that garnered heavy social media attention is no longer employed by Pennsylvania State Police, the agency confirmed Friday.
The former state trooper, who has yet to be identified by state police, was previously placed on restricted duty while an investigation into the early March traffic stop was underway, the agency told CBS News Philadelphia two months ago.
On Saturday, March 2, the trooper pulled over Celena Morrison-McLean, executive director of the Mayor's Office of LGBT Affairs, on I-76 citing multiple "vehicle code violations."
At the time of the stop, Morrison-McLean was being followed by her husband, Darius McLean, in a separate car because the couple had just picked up a vehicle from a family member in New Jersey, according to the couple's attorneys.
Morrison-McLean said in a press conference the following week that she believed race played a role in the traffic stop.
"Yes, I believe it is because I'm Black," Morrison-McLean said.
State police said the trooper first approached McLean, who they said pulled up behind the trooper after his wife was stopped.
In a police report, the trooper said McLean became verbally combative toward him, but the couple's attorney, Kevin Mincey, said in a press conference the trooper was the aggressor, claiming he pulled out his service weapon and forced McLean out of the car.
"Darius had his hands up, window down and his hazards on," Mincey said. "He explained, 'I stopped because you pulled over my wife.'"
Pennsylvania State Police said McLean refused multiple lawful orders from the trooper, who then arrested him.
"There's no resistance by Celena," Mincey said. "No resistance by Darius."
As he was being arrested, Morrison-McLean got out of her car and started recording a video.
"I've never felt more helpless than in those moments when the state trooper held my husband's life in his hands," Morrison-McLean said. "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."
The trooper then went on to arrest Morrison-McLean.
"The images of him pointing his gun at me and later charging at my wife, tackling her, as I laid handcuffed in the street, are pictures that I will never forget," McLean said. "A formal apology is nowhere near a measure of full compensation for what they have done to Celena and I. If anything, it is the bare minimum."
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President responds
On Friday, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association President Stephen Polishan said in a news release that he condemned the Pennsylvania State Police's decision to fire the trooper involved in the I-76 traffic stop on March 2.
"This decision is reprehensible. This young trooper, on the job for only six months, deserved better from our department. The department's leadership should have fought against the attacks made about this young man's character."
"Instead, they abandoned him. We can only conclude this decision is a response to a politically charged atmosphere in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania, which is making it increasingly difficult for law enforcement to carry out even their most basic duties," the statement read in part.
PSP did not specify to CBS News Philadelphia why the agency no longer employs the trooper.