A cop turned gun rights activist has lost her lawsuit against a former LAPD police chief in which she alleged that she was treated unfairly after refusing to delete her social media accounts showing her competition shooting.
Toni McBride, an officer in LAPD’s Newton Division who has appeared in magazines and shares content of herself practicing at gun ranges, had claimed that ex chief Michel Moore blocked her ability to progress in her career after refusing to remove certain videos.
She alleged that Moore threatened to ‘destroy my career’ during a meeting if she did not take down her accounts, which had accumulated some 120,000 followers in sum. ‘He told me that as long as I was on social media that my career here at LAPD is over,’ she testified.
Moore countered that while he ‘did caution her that the nature of her posts were reflecting poorly on the department’, and that her posts had ‘impacted her credibility’, he did not give her an ultimatum as described.
But on Thursday, after a trial lasting just over two days, a jury concluded McBride had not been treated unfairly by her former boss. Jurors heard testimony from high ranking LAPD officials including McBride’s father, Jamie, and saw images from her channels, including posts in her police uniform and one captioned ‘sexy glock’.
McBride made headlines in 2020 over the shooting of Daniel Hernandez. After it was determined McBride had fired more shots than necessary, critics pointed to her social media accounts as suggestive of her propensity for violence.
The officer said the LAPD chief threatened to ‘destroy my career’ over her posts
McBride shares photos with some 120,000 followers across her social media channels
McBride continues to share pictures of herself with firearms on social media
File photo. Then-LAPD Chief Michael Moore speaks to media at the LAPD headquarters about an unrelated case, on April 2, 2019
McBride (pictured in a social post) has been on medical leave since 2022 due to ‘severe physical symptoms’ caused by the ‘stress’ of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed
During the trial, McBride said she believed ‘it’s my right to talk about whatever I want to on Instagram, especially topics that involve the 2nd Amendment’.
Aneta Freeman, an assistant L.A. city attorney, acknowledged that ‘Yes, she has a right to post on her social media, but with that right comes a responsibility, and she has not met that responsibility’.
Freeman said McBride was merely ‘seeking to use her position and her badge to make money and to become famous and to become an influencer’, as reported by the LA Times.
But Beth Corriea, one of McBride’s attorneys, argued the case was ‘a perfect example of a disagreement over the content of free speech.’
Gregory Smith, another attorney for McBride, said he was ‘disappointed’ with the eventual verdict, arguing her free speech rights had been violated.
The lawsuit also circled back to the April 2020 killing of Daniel Hernandez, 38, who was shot by McBride after appearing to lunge at her with a box cutter.
“She shot and killed a man. But the emotional distress that she is suffering and that she is asking you to award money for is because she is told to take down her Instagram,’ referencing the $100,000 damages she was seeking.
McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to ‘severe physical symptoms’ caused by and worsened by the ‘stress’ of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed.
The shooting of Daniel Hernandez drew a lot of attention at the time, critics claiming McBride’s social media boasts showed a propensity for violence.
She briefly returned to work before going back on leave and relocating to Northern California.
McBride was in 2020 sued after bodycam footage showing her shooting Daniel Hernandez, 38, in downtown Los Angeles in April was released.
The footage shows her instructing him to drop a box cutter he was holding while she was attending the scene of a multi-car accident Hernandez had been involved in.
Hernandez appeared to continue to walk towards the officer after ordering him to stand down. McBride fired four times before the man fell to the ground.
After he collapsed, McBride fired twice more because he still had the weapon in his hands.
The LAPD Commission concluded her last two shots were out of policy.
Los Angeles Police Officer Toni McBride in photos shared on her Facebook page
McBride with Keanu Reeves, second from left, at Taran Tactical posted in December 2019
McBride has been on medical leave since November 2022 due to ‘severe physical symptoms’ caused by and worsened by the ‘stress’ of the lawsuit, a court filing claimed
McBride has appeared in a number of magazines posing with firearms
During this week’s trial, Moore acknowledged overruling a recommendation to take McBride off desk duty.
He linked to to the pending investigation over the shooting of Hernandez and her use of the city’s intellectual property on her social channels.
McBride continues to post on social media, addressing some 120,000 followers on Instagram alone and sharing pictures with firearms on Facebook.
Her bio on YouTube, now more sparsely populated, reads: ‘Full Time LEO, Completion Shooter, Jesus Christ Follower’.