Philadelphia Mayor's Office staffer, spouse released from custody after arrest on I-76: police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- An official in Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's office and her spouse were released from custody after being arrested during a traffic stop on the Schuylkill Expressway Saturday morning.
Pennsylvania State Police confirmed to CBS Philadelphia that Celena Morrison, the executive director of Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs, and her husband Darius McLean were released over the weekend. PSP initially filed misdemeanor and summary charges against the couple, but those were declined by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office.
In a statement, the DA's office said as of Sunday morning, it has "made no charging decision pending a thorough, even-handed investigation."
"As our office continues to investigate all aspects of the incident on the Vine Street Expressway on Saturday, we encourage members of the public who have truthful information about this incident to contact the DA's Special Investigations Unit at DAO_SIU@phila.gov or 215-686-9608."
The chaotic incident was caught on cell phone camera, which took place on the shoulder of westbound lanes of I-76 around 9 a.m. In the video, which was sent to CBS Philadelphia by a woman who said she is Morrison's sister and posted on social media, McLean is seen on the ground getting handcuffed. The William Way LGBT Community Center identified McLean as the person in the video.
According to their website, McLean is the center's chief operating officer.
A report from Pennsylvania State Police omitted the names of the two people arrested, but said the incident began after a trooper pulled over a grey Infiniti sedan for "multiple vehicle code violations."
At that point, PSP said a green Dodge sedan pulled up behind their patrol car, and when the trooper approached the Dodge, the driver "became verbally combative."
During an attempt to arrest that driver, PSP said the person from the Infiniti interfered. Both were taken into custody for resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, disorderly conduct and other related charges.
A few hours after the video was posted on social media, Mayor Parker released the following statement on X:
"Earlier today, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper executed a car stop on the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia, reportedly for a Motor Vehicle Code violation. Celena Morrison, the City's executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, was in the vehicle that was stopped. A video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident is very concerning to me, and I will have no further comment until the investigation has been completed."
Councilmember Rue Landau, Philadelphia's first openly LGBTQ+ city councilmember, also released a statement in response to the arrests, writing on Facebook that the footage circulating online was "alarming." "As we wait for more information about the incident, my office and I will continue to stay in touch with the Parker Administration, the state and other city officials to ensure transparency and to investigate further."
