A cop turned gun rights activist lost her lawsuit against a former LAPD police chief alleging she was treated unfairly after refusing to delete her social media accounts that featured her shooting competitions.
Toni McBride, an LAPD Newton Division officer who has been featured in magazines and shares content of herself practicing at shooting ranges, claimed that former Chief Michel Moore blocked her ability to advance her career after refusing to remove certain videos.
He alleged that Moore threatened to “destroy my career” during a meeting if he did not remove his accounts, which had amassed a total of about 120,000 followers. “He told me that as long as I was on social media my career here at LAPD was over,” she testified.
Moore responded that while he “warned her that the nature of her posts reflected poorly on the department” and that her posts had “affected her credibility,” he did not give her an ultimatum as described.
But on Thursday, after a trial that lasted just over two days, a jury concluded that McBride had not been treated unfairly by her former boss. Jurors heard testimony from high-ranking LAPD officials, including McBride’s father, Jamie, and viewed channel images of her, including posts in her police uniform and one with the caption “sexy glock “.
McBride made headlines in 2020 for the shooting of Daniel Hernandez. After it was determined that McBride had fired more shots than necessary, critics pointed to his social media accounts as suggestive of his propensity for violence.
The officer said the LAPD chief threatened to “destroy my career” over his posts.
McBride shares photos with about 120,000 followers on his social media channels
McBride continues to share photos of herself with firearms on social media
Archive photo. Then-LAPD Chief Michael Moore speaks to the media at LAPD headquarters about an unrelated case, April 2, 2019.
McBride (pictured in a social post) has been on medical leave since 2022 due to “serious physical symptoms” caused by the “stress” of the lawsuit, a court filing states.
During the trial, McBride said he believed “I have the right to talk about whatever I want on Instagram, especially issues related to the Second Amendment.”
Aneta Freeman, assistant city attorney for the city of Los Angeles, acknowledged that “Yes, she has the right to post on her social media, but with that right comes a responsibility, and she has not fulfilled that responsibility.”
Freeman said McBride was simply “seeking to use her position and her badge to make money and become famous and become an influential person,” the newspaper reported. Los Angeles Times.
But Beth Corriea, one of McBride’s lawyers, argued that the case was “a perfect example of disagreement over the content of free speech.”
Gregory Smith, another lawyer for McBride, said he was “disappointed” with the final verdict, arguing that his free speech rights had been violated.
The lawsuit also dates back to the April 2020 murder of Daniel Hernandez, 38, who McBride shot after appearing to lunge at her with a box cutter.
“She shot and killed a man. But the emotional anguish that she is suffering and for which she asks him to award her money is due to being told to delete her Instagram, in reference to the $100,000 in compensation she was asking for.
McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to “serious physical symptoms” caused and worsened by the “stress” of the lawsuit, a court filing stated.
The shooting of Daniel Hernandez drew a lot of attention at the time, with critics claiming that McBride’s social media boasts showed a propensity for violence.
He briefly returned to work before taking leave again and moving to Northern California.
McBride was sued in 2020 after body camera footage was released showing her shooting Daniel Hernandez, 38, in downtown Los Angeles in April.
The footage shows her ordering him to drop a box cutter he was holding while she attended the scene of a car accident in which Hernandez had been involved.
Hernandez appeared to continue walking toward the officer after ordering him to leave. McBride fired four times before the man fell to the ground.
After collapsing, McBride fired two more times because he still had the gun in his hands.
The LAPD Commission concluded that his last two shootings were outside policy.
Los Angeles Police Officer Toni McBride in photos shared on her Facebook page
McBride with Keanu Reeves, second from left, in Taran Tactical published December 2019
McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to “serious physical symptoms” caused and worsened by the “stress” of the lawsuit, a court filing states.
McBride has appeared in several magazines posing with firearms.
During this week’s trial, Moore acknowledged overriding a recommendation to remove McBride from his administrative duties.
It was linked to the pending investigation into Hernandez’s shooting and his use of the city’s intellectual property on his social channels.
McBride continues to post on social media, addressing about 120,000 followers on Instagram alone and sharing photos with firearms on Facebook.
His YouTube bio, now less populated, reads: “Full-time LEO, finishing shooter, follower of Jesus Christ.”