The Los Angeles District Attorney has declined to file criminal charges against former officer Daniel Andrew, the California highway patrolman who was caught on camera assaulting a mentally ill homeless woman along the side of a highway last year.
Witness video shows Andrew straddling and punching then-51-year-old Marlene Pinnock, who was reportedly homeless and mentally ill. Andrew claims that he was attempting to stop Pinnock from walking onto the busy freeway, but Pinnock says that the force was unwarranted.
“I felt like he was trying to kill me, beat me to death,” Pinnock, who won a $1.5 million settlement with the city, told the Associated Press last year.
Marlene Pinnock Receives $1.5 Million Settlement from California Highway Patrol
However, earlier today, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said that Andrew, who has since resigned from the highway patrol, would not face any criminal charges for his actions.
“When looking at all of the evidence, and especially the medical reports and eyewitness accounts, it becomes exceedingly clear that the officer, who was alone and struggling with Ms. Pinnock precariously close to evening freeway traffic, acted within the law,” D.A. Jackie Lacey said in a statement. “In our analysis, his use of force was legal and necessary to protect not only his own life, but also that of Ms. Pinnock.”