Over the weekend a story surfaced about actress Daniele Watts who claimed the LAPD mistook her for a prostitute.
We covered it, and at the time most of the details available came from Watts and her boyfriend Brian Lucas. The LAPD was not yet releasing any documentation of the incident.
Both Watts and Lucas painted a picture of police brutality, posting photos of a cut on Watts' wrists they say was from Watts being handcuffed. Lucas wrote on Facebook, "Our freedom isn't freedom folks, when people can abuse others with no reason or evidence."
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Watts was briefly put in cuffs after police arrived on the scene because she walked away, refusing to give any form of identification — which is against the law in California if police have probable cause — in this case, it seems they did. (Video via KCAL)
Both Watts and Lucas claim they were only kissing, fully clothed, when an onlooker called the police. But now there's another side to the story.
TMZ reports multiple witnesses from the nearby Directors Guild office building saw the "Django Unchained" actress and her boyfriend having sex in broad daylight in the passenger seat of the car with the door open. Not only that, but the outlet also obtained audio from the incident.
WATTS: "Do you know how many times the cops have been called just for being black? Just because I'm black and he's white?"
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SGT. PARKER: "I said nothing about you being black."
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WATTS: "Do you think that I'm stupid?"
SGT PARKER: "I don't think you're stupid at all."
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WATTS: "I think I'd like to identify you to my publicist."
There are four separate audio recordings of the incident on TMZ's site that you can check out for yourself. But let's go to a BuzzFeed article from Sunday — Watts gave the outlet an exclusive interview.
In the article BuzzFeed does note, "Watts, who is black, and Lucas, who is white, both said that race was playing on their minds during the incident." But the article went on to quote Watts as saying: "It wasn't a black white thing, it was more about something like a hypocrisy. ... And I think these kinds of discussions can help us." That sounds a bit different than what Watts said in the newly released audio.
Since the new developments, both Watts and Lucas went on CNN to talk about the incident. They were bluntly asked if they were having sex. Here's her answer.
"In my opinion, it's not a crime to be fully clothed showing affection on a public street. ... It's my right and my pleasure to enjoy myself."
Also in the interview Watts defended her decision to not give officers her ID, saying, "I believe in America and what it stands for."
The couple told CNN they have contacted lawyers, the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union. For the record, the ACLU does suggest that people give police identification when they respond to a call with probable cause. The LAPD has started an internal investigation as well.
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