Woman, Who Was Punched Several Times By California Patrol Officer, Gets $1.5M In Settlement

A woman who was punched repeatedly by a California Highway Patrol, or CHP, officer will get $1.5 million in a settlement and the officer has offered to resign, according to reports. The incident, which occurred on the side of a freeway in July, was recorded on video by a passing vehicle.

Marlene Pinnock was stopped by officer Daniel Andrew after he received multiple calls from drivers who saw Pinnock walking barefoot on the highway, according to Associated Press, which cited a search warrant made public in court documents. Andrew, who had joined the CHP in 2012, is seen in the video pinning her to the ground and striking her upper torso and head several times. Since the incident, Andrew has been placed on paid administrative leave, and could still face criminal charges in the case though no complaint has been filed yet.

"One of the things we wanted to make sure of was that she was provided for in a manner that accommodated her unique situation in life," Caree Harper, Pinnock’s attorney, said, according to AP, adding that "the officer was not going to be an officer anymore and we secured those things.”

According to the warrant, Pinnock did not suffer any physical injury and refused medical treatment, but was placed on a psychiatric hold for two weeks, AP reported. Pinnock has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been off her medication for about three months before the incident.

"He grabbed me, he threw me down, he started beating me," Pinnock had said in an interview to AP last month, adding: "I felt like he was trying to kill me, beat me to death."