A Pasadena, California, police officer has alleged that she was the victim of racial discrimination and retaliation following an encounter with fellow officers when she attempted to de-escalate a situation between an officer and a suspect, CBS News reports.
Officer Taisyn Crutchfield, a member of the Pasadena police force since 2021, has filed a lawsuit against her department after being placed on a paid administrative leave for six months without being informed why.
The incident occurred after a Black man, Charles Town, was shot and killed by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies in Altadena in January, according to CBS News.
On Feb. 20, officers responded to a call involving an argument between Town’s two teenage sons. According to CBS News, one of the sons was “understandably upset by the death of their father.” When the officers intervened, the situation escalated, resulting in one of the young men being thrown face-first into a cactus.
The Pasadena Police Department released recordings and footage from the patrol car that captured the altercation.
The video from the patrol car shows the officers around
the two teens and a third person who observed the encounter. According to the outlet, Crutchfield can be seen walking over to one of the officers and lightly pushing him away before saying, “Don’t do that.” A PPD sergeant separated the officers and returned to the station.A press release from Crutchfield’s attorney said she is “the latest victim” in a history of “racial discrimination, racial profiling, disparities of punishment of African American employees and retaliation against [officers] who are whistleblowers or complain about discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.” The release also stated Crutchfield “followed state-wide police training and intervened to de-escalate the situation.”
Rather than being commended for her “heroic action, avoiding needless violence,” Crutchfield was “relieved of duty and punished.” The attorney said the lawsuit was filed to right the wrong suffered by the Black woman officer.
The City of Pasadena responded to the lawsuit, stating that it “will vigorously defend itself in this matter, and the facts will prevail.”
In a press conference Friday outside of Pasadena Police Department, Crutchfield’s attorney Brad Gage said, per CBS News, “She’s doing the right thing; she doesn’t believe in a code of silence. She doesn’t believe in circling the wagons. She believes in integrity, honesty, and safety.”
Crutchfield was not present at the press conference, but her family was.
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