LOS ANGELES – A woman punched repeatedly by a California Highway Patrol officer on the side of a freeway in an incident caught on video will receive $1.5 million under a settlement, and the officer has agreed to resign.
CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow confirmed the settlement in an emailed statement and an attorney for Marlene Pinnock confirmed the dollar amount for The Associated Press.
Pinnock has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had been off her medication for two to three months before the altercation.
READ MORE: Calif. officer punches woman over 10 times in arrest posted on YouTube
Wednesday’s agreement came after a nine-hour mediation session in Los Angeles.
The statement said that Officer Daniel Andrew, who joined the CHP in 2012 and has been on paid administrative leave since the incident, “has elected to resign.”
Andrew could still be charged criminally in the case. The CHP forwarded the results of its investigation of the incident to Los Angeles County prosecutors last month, saying he could face serious charges but none have been filed yet.
The bulk of the settlement will take the form of a special needs trust for Pinnock, the CHP said.
Pinnock’s attorney Caree Harper said the settlement fulfilled the two elements her side was looking for.
The July 1 video of Andrew punching Pinnock was captured by a passing driver and spread widely on the internet and television.
READ MORE: Officer recorded beating woman on road could face serious charges
According to a search warrant made public in court documents last month, Andrew had just pulled Pinnock from oncoming traffic and she resisted by pushing him after multiple drivers called police to report her walking barefoot along the side of the freeway.
Andrew then straddled her on the ground as Pinnock resisted by “kicking her legs, grabbing the officer’s uniform and twisting her body,” the warrant said. Andrew “struck her in the upper torso and head several times with a closed right fist,” the records say.
WATCH: Video of California Highway Patrol officer Daniel Andrew repeatedly punching Marlene Pinnock on the side of a Los Angeles freeway (July 4). Warning: Video may be disturbing to some viewers.
The warrant said Pinnock suffered no signs of physical injury and refused medical treatment. She was placed on a psychiatric hold for two weeks.
In an interview with the AP last month, Pinnock said she believed the officer was trying to kill her.
“He grabbed me, he threw me down, he started beating me,” she said. “I felt like he was trying to kill me, beat me to death.”
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