A now-retired California Highway Patrol officer has been charged with assault for allegedly punching a woman in the face during a traffic stop last year, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Todd Cookston, 54, is set to appear on one felony count of assault under the color of authority in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom on April 25, when he can enter a plea.
Cookston detained a 21-year-old woman on the 5 Freeway near Santa Clarita last March 2. After she got out of her vehicle, an altercation took place and he punched her in the face, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“The alleged behavior exhibited by this officer was reprehensible,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “No woman should be detained in the middle of the night and punched in the face because an officer lost his temper.”
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