2nd Lt. Caron Nazario was pulled over by police in Windsor, Virginia, on the pretext that his new car, with dealer tags in the rear window, had no plate. Quickly threatened after refusing to immediately leave his vehicle, he put his arms in the air and tried to calm the officers only to be pepper-sprayed and roughed up by Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez, who lied about the encounter in their report. Gutierrez, who held his gun sideways like a cartoon gangster while waving it at Nazario, was fired only after the media publicized the incident. And now both men, and their department, are being sued.
Nazario is suing both officers in federal court for a total of $1 million, claiming they violated his constitutional rights, assaulted him, falsely imprisoned him and had his car illegally searched. The trial will begin on Monday in Richmond, Virginia. In response to the federal lawsuit, the police officers deny the allegations against them in a court filing.
In the police report, one of the officers wrote that Nazario eluded police because he didn't stop right away. Nazario stated that he wanted to pull over in a well-lit area.
"I'm honestly afraid to get out," Nazario said during the traffic stop. "Yeah, you should be," Gutierrez replied.
The state attorney general has also filed a lawsuit against the town of Windsor, ABC News reports, claiming that its police discriminate against African Americans.
Another choice quote from Crocker: "You fixing to ride the lightning, son." A textbook smalltown racist cop.
