Woman punched in face on film by CHP receives $1.5M settlement

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The woman captured on video being repeatedly punched in the face by a California Highway Patrol officer will receive a $1.5 million settlement from the agency.

According to the Huffington Post, a CHP investigator initially claimed that Pinnock was resisting arrest and that Andrews was taking her into custody for her own safety, to prevent her from wandering into traffic.

The video, recorded by a passerby driving along an I-10 on-ramp in Los Angeles on July 1, shows Marlene Pinnock, a 51-year-old great-grandmother, being savagely beaten. The officer in the recording, Daniel Andrew, straddles Pinnock, pinning her down while punching her repeatedly in the face.

There were conflicting accounts of what prompted the incident, with Andrew claiming that Pinnock shoved him and became combative when he tried to detain her and Pinnock claiming Andrew assaulted her without provocation.

Andrew "just started punching me and socking me and beating me," she said. "Blow after blow and blow after blow. He just wouldn't stop." "When this incident occurred, I promised that I would look into it and vowed a swift resolution," CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said in a statement. "Today, we have worked constructively to reach a settlement agreement that is satisfactory to all parties involved."

According to the LA Times, Andrew was stripped of his duties, will resign, and could face "potentially serious charges" though Los Angeles prosecutors are still deciding whether they will charge Andrew with a crime.

Farrow said the $1.5 million to settle the civil rights lawsuit will be placed into a special-needs trust to "provide a mechanism for [Pinnock's] long term care."