Richmond police put woman in abuse case on medical hold

Police placed a woman who was at the center of a police sex-abuse scandal on a medical hold early Sunday after a domestic disturbance, Richmond Police Chief Allwyn Brown said on Twitter after she posted a video of the incident on Facebook.

In the tweet, Brown said officers were called to the home of the woman who used the pseudonym Celeste Guap about 7 a.m. Brown’s tweet referred to Guap by her real name. The Chronicle does not identify victims of sexual assault, although she has asked that her first name Jasmine be used.

“They met with difficulty sorting out the conflict between she and her boyfriend,” Brown said. “Officers placed (her) on an emergency medical evaluation hold because of her words and behavior.”

Richmond police Lt. Felix Tan said the department would issue no further statement because the incident involved “a medical condition.”

Guap’s Facebook page, however, has a video posted about that time showing a woman inside a car saying, “Help me, help me, this is a idiot, you guys, Richmond Police Department.”

In the video, the woman is crying and screaming when an officer takes her phone.

Oakland attorney John Burris, who is representing Guap, said he did not know where she was taken after “an altercation with her boyfriend.”

“We’re trying to locate where she is right now,” Burris said. “We want her to be healthy and safe.”

Guap has told The Chronicle that 29 Bay Area law enforcement officers had sex with her, even when she was a minor, and at some points alerted her about antiprostitution stings. Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent resigned as a result of the scandal, and charges were filed against six East Bay law enforcement officers. But half the cases were dismissed or the charges were dropped due to insufficient evidence. Two cases were plea-bargained, and one awaits trial.

In May 2017, the Oakland City Council approved a $989,000 settlement with Guap, who said she was “happy that I can close this chapter and move on with my life.”

In August, Guap sued Richmond police, Brown, former Chief Chris Magnus and internal affairs supervisor Lt. Brian Dickerson, saying the department turned “a blind eye” to her exploitation.