The head of Philadelphia's Department of LGBT Affairs and her husband are planning to bring a civil suit forward after the pair were arrested over the weekend in an incident that was caught on camera.
Video of the March 2 arrest, along a stretch of I-76 near 30th Street Station, went viral after the pair's arrest.
On Thursday, Celena Morrison-McLean and her husband, Darius McLean, joined their attorneys to discuss their version of the events that day and discuss the legal actions they plan to take moving forward.
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"I've never felt more helpless than in those moments where this state trooper held my husband's life in his hands," Morrison-McLean told reporters.
As detailed by Kevin Mincey, an attorney for the pair, the incident began after Morrison-McLean and her husband were returning to Philadelphia after visiting a family member in New Jersey and picking up a vehicle that needed to be serviced.
Mincey said that they were headed to a mechanic on 43rd Street, with Morrison-McLean in the vehicle that needed repairs, followed by her husband in a car behind her, a Pennsylvania State Trooper "wedged" his car between the two vehicles before turning his lights on to initiate a stop on Morrison-McLean's vehicle.
As that happened, Mincey said, Darius pulled his car over behind the trooper's vehicle "giving the trooper some space to do his job."
Once all three cars were pulled along the road's edge, Mincey said, the trooper jumped out -- before, he claimed, ever running the plates on Morrison-McLean's vehicle.
"The trooper never approached Celena's vehicle. Instead, he turned and he immediately came to Darius' car and when he came to Darius' car, he had his gun drawn," the attorney said.
Mincey said that Darius, in the driver's seat, put his hands up and told officer he stopped because trooper had stopped his wife.
Instead, the trooper aimed a gun at Darius and pulled him out of the vehicle from the passenger's side.
Through this, Mincey said, Celena had heard the conversation between her husband and the trooper as Darius had called her as she was being pulled over.
"Celena never hung up the phone so she hear the conversation between the officer and Darius," said Mincey.
When she heard it escalate, Mincey said, Morrison-McLean jumped out of her vehicle and started recording video of the incident -- during which, she can be heard telling the trooper that she worked for the mayor as her husband was restrained on the roadside.
"In an act of desperation, just to try and get his attention, she screamed 'I work for the mayor, I work for the mayor,' because sometimes when you're faced with that type of aggression you hope that can just say something to get that officer's attention to realize that there may be some repercussions for what is happening."
In addressing the situation herself, Morrison-McLean said that at the time she "feared for the worst" and wanted to get the troopers attention in the heat of the moment.
"[I was] hoping that would make him realize he was dealing with people he did not need to be afraid of," she said.
When asked about the officer's possible motivation in the stop, Morrison-McLean did say that she believes that she was targeted by the trooper because of the color of her skin.
Also, as can be seen in the video, the trooper moved to restrain Morrison-Miller during the course of the incident. Mincey said that the trooper knocked the phone to the ground and struck her in the face before throwing her against the hood of his car.
"The trooper was aggressive. I think it's clear from the video that the trooper was aggressive," Mincey said.
Also, according to Mincey, after the pair were apprehended and taken to a police barracks, he claimed they were never told why they were arrested and, instead, he claimed that they were told that they didn't have any rights.
"They were told that 'they were prisoners and they don't have any rights.' This is a quote from one of the troopers that was there,' Mincey claimed.
Now, the pair said that they plan to bring a civil lawsuit over the incident -- however, just what that action might be, Mincey said they were "evaluating their options" and he did not say what damages they were seeking through the action.
Morrison-McLean said that, if nothing else, she feels that the pair deserve an apology from the Pennsylvania State Police.
Following the incident, the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave.
And, earlier this week, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said that his office was still reviewing the incident and would provide an update on any possible charges stemming from the stop at some point next week.
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