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Pasadena Police Release Video Refuting Lawsuit Over Traffic Stop Of Mother, Daughter

PASADENA (CBSLA) – Pasadena police Tuesday released dash cam video which officials claim exonerates two officers who are accused in a lawsuit of sexually assaulting a mother and her adult daughter during a traffic stop more than two years ago.

Pasadena Police Release Video Refuting Lawsuit Over Traffic Stop Of Mother, Daughter
Dash cam video shows Pasadena police officers conducting a traffic stop of May 2, 2016, in the area of Altadena Drive and Foothill Boulevard. (Pasadena Police Department)

The two women filed a $25 million civil rights lawsuit in U.S. district court in April against the city of Pasadena and the Pasadena Police Department over a traffic stop that occurred on the afternoon of May 2, 2016, in the area of Altadena Drive and Foothill Boulevard.

According to the complaint, the officers, identified as Brendan Thebeau and Carey (no last name given), violated the civil rights of 43-year-old Sharell Thompson, and her daughter, 22-year-old Sharaya Brown.

"You will see for yourself, that whatever their allegations are, it didn't occur," Pasadena police spokesman Lt. Jason Clawson told CBS2 Tuesday.

During the 25 minutes of footage CBS2 viewed, there were no escalated exchanges between the officers and the women.

"One officer asked the passenger to lift up her shirt, just to expose her waistband, to make sure there were no exposed weapons or anything, any anomalies present," Clawson said. "The other officer, driver officer, asked the driver to get out of the car and he conducted a quick cursory search of her waistband only."

In a separate statement to CBS2 Monday, Officer Lisa Derderian, a Pasadena police spokeswoman, called the allegations "baseless" and said "the claims on which the lawsuit rests are easily proven false."

"The in-car camera footage from the patrol car clearly shows that the officers acted appropriately," said Derderian, adding the officers initiated the traffic stop "based upon a detective investigation and traffic violation witnessed by police."

The officers "remained professional the entire time," Derderian wrote. They conducted "necessary searches of the individuals --a waist-band check for weapons -- and of the vehicle."

Derderian went on: "After the vehicle and individuals were searched and questioned, they were free to leave the scene."

The lawsuit, however, contends the officers physically searched the women without probable cause or justification, with one of the male officers "using his bare hands to rub between (the) legs," in the areas of the "crotch" and "buttocks" and inside the pants of the daughter.

The suit alleges that one of the officers forced the mother to lift her shirt and "expose her breasts" in public view.

Even though the mother immediately drove to the Pasadena Police Department after the stop to lodge a complaint, the police department failed to seriously investigate the claims and refused to take any disciplinary action against the officers, the lawsuit alleges.

The attorney representing the two women held a news conference Tuesday night.

"Our clients contend that the police dash-cam video posted to the City of Pasadena's website is an edited version that does not show the full extent of the officers' search activity, actions, etc," attorney Dakar Diourbel said

(©2018 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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