LAPD Officer Defends His Detainment of Daniele Watts

The LAPD officer who detained actress Daniele Watts is speaking out in defense of his actions.

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The officer involved in the controversial detainment of actress Daniele Watts is speaking out, and is defending his decision to handcuff Watts after she refused to show her ID to police.

Sergeant Jim Parker of the Los Angeles Police Department spoke with the L.A. Times, lamenting the “long, drawn-out drama” that unfolded. He said that he “was trying to ID them and leave – nobody wanted [Watts and boyfriend Brian Lucas​] arrested for having sex in public. But then she went into her tirade.”

Parker went on to say that her race or the idea that she might be a prostitute “never crossed his mind,” and that he was simply trying to follow up on a simple complaint for a “lewd act.”

Given the highly-charged, tense climate currently surrounding white police interacting with black citizens, however, the situation quickly escalated and turned into a big story.

[via NY Daily News]

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