Crime & Safety

Woman in Hair Pulling Incident Files Claim Against SDPD

Hayslett claims she was discriminated against and still suffers neck and back pain as a result of her brief altercation with a police officer two months ago.

Torazzi Hayslett, the woman in the hair pulling incident that involved a San Diego police officer, filed a claim with the city of San Diego on Wednesday.

On Oct. 19, Hayslett saw her home burning down and ran toward a smoldering heap of wood and wires that used to be her garage. Firefighters held her back until Sgt. Daniel McLaughlin got involved.

"I was charged from behind and as I was charged from behind, I had no clue who it was or who was charging on me. I tried to grab the fire truck," Hayslett told 10News.

Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After her hand was pulled from the fire truck, Hayslette began to swing, and McLaughlin responded aggressively, at one time reaching over her husband between the two to pull her by the hair. The incident was caught on video by Imperial Beach Patch and made news across the country.

Hayslett filed papers Wednesday in San Diego that claim McLaughlin's response outside her home on Ilex Avenue in the Nestor-area was excessive and have resulted in more than $10,000 in damages.

Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Among 10 accusations made in the claim, Hayslett says she was treated different because of her race and/or gender, assault, false arrest, negligent hiring and negligent supervision on the part of the city of San Diego.

McLaughlin was involved in an altercation with a senior citizen in 2009 that led to the man being awarded damages.

The claim also states that Hayslett, an elementary school teacher, still suffers from neck and back pain after her brief altercation with McLaughlin.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.