A law enforcement officer who was allegedly demoted for giving Charlie Sheen a police escort in Washington DC last year has filed suit against his employers.
Controversy erupted in April 2011 when Sheen's car was accompanied by police cruisers on a ride from Washington DC's Dulles International Airport to Constitution Hall for one of his My Violent Torpedo of Truth shows.
DC police chief Cathy Lanier later opened an investigation into an apparent trend of police escorts for celebrities, citing the practice as a possible violation of department policy.
Police were later cleared of any wrongdoing, but officer Hilton Burton has claimed he was demoted from commander to captain for his part in the incident.
Burton was initially transferred from his longtime special operations unit to medical services, before being moved again to internal affairs.
He is seeking $6 million (£3.8m) in damages in his suit against the department and is also demanding to be reinstated to his prior job, reports BBC News.
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His legal team have accused the Washington DC police department of exhibiting "extreme, outrageous, and intolerable conduct that is beyond all bounds of decency".
The Washington DC police department has not responded to the lawsuit.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
