<p>A US&nbsp;Army&nbsp;lieutenant filed a lawsuit against two Virginia police officers in federal court over what court papers say was a violent traffic stop, where officers pointed their guns, knocked him to the ground, pepper-sprayed him, and "threatened to murder him."</p>

<p>The suit, filed by&nbsp;Army&nbsp;officer Caron Nazario on April 2 in the US&nbsp;District Court of Norfolk, Virginia, against Windsor policemen Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker, alleges violations to his constitutional rights and includes assault, illegal search, and illegal detention.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Army officer LT. Caron Nazario who’s Afro-Latino was pulled over in his car.<br />
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When told to get out of the car he said, “I’m honestly afraid to get out.”<br />
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Officer said,<br />
“Yeah, you should be!”<br />
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This is how U treat soldiers of color who defend this country?<br />
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<a href="https://t.co/E9CoUVjBqp">pic.twitter.com/E9CoUVjBqp</a></p>
— KID VICIOUS🔪 (@kirkacevedo) <a href="https://twitter.com/kirkacevedo/status/1380858745677258755?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 10, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>The incident captured on video comes at a time of heightened awareness over police arrests of minorities and racial justice, in the wake of the ongoing televised trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody last May.</p>

<p><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/high-stakes-trial-of-derek-chauvin-continues-376485/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The lieutenant sent me his cell phone footage first and it was horrifying," Nazario's attorney, Jonathan Arthur, said on Sunday.&nbsp;"But I kept hoping and thinking, you know, that's only one angle. Maybe there's something I'm missing? Maybe the dash cam footage or the body cam footage will show something different? And it didn't. It just got worse from there."</p>

<p>Nazario, who is Latino and Black, was in uniform and driving his new SUV with a temporary paper tag displayed on the back window on December 5, when he was told to pull over on US&nbsp;Highway 460 in Windsor, Virginia, a town of about 2,600 residents and about 70 miles southeast of Richmond.</p>

<p>When a police cruiser signaled for him to stop, the lawsuit says Nazario put on his blinkers, slowed down and looked for a lighted place to stop.</p>

<p>The suit says an officer radioed to dispatch that a driver without a tag was "eluding police" and it was considered a "high-risk stop," and another police officer responded to the scene.</p>

<p>Nazario stopped at a nearby gas station, less than two minutes after being signaled to pull over. During the stop, which was captured on police body cameras and Nazario's cell phone, Nazario told police that he was afraid to get out of the vehicle. An officer responded, "Yeah you should be," the suit says.</p>

<p>An officer also stated that Nazario was "fixing to ride the lightning," in an apparent reference to execution by electrocution.</p>

<p>During the arrest, the suit says Nazario had his hands up, offered no resistance, but was pepper-sprayed and violently knocked to the ground and detained. Ultimately the police chief responded to the scene and Nazario was released without charges, the suit says.</p>

<p>After the altercation, the suit says that officer Gutierrez said he understood why Nazario looked for a lighted place to pull over, and said: "I get it, the media spewing race relations between law enforcement and minorities. I get it."</p>


A US Army lieutenant filed a lawsuit against two Virginia police officers in federal court over what court papers say was a violent traffic stop, where officers pointed their guns, knocked him to the ground, pepper-sprayed him, and "threatened to murder him.

A US Army lieutenant filed a lawsuit against two Virginia police officers in federal court over what court papers say was a violent traffic stop, where officers pointed their guns, knocked him to the ground, pepper-sprayed him, and "threatened to murder him." The suit, filed by Army officer Caron Nazario on April 2 in the US District Court of Norfolk, Virginia, against Windsor policemen Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker, alleges violations to his constitutional rights and includes assault, illegal search, and illegal detention. Army officer LT. Caron Nazario who’s Afro-Latino was pulled over in his car. When told to get out of the car he said, “I’m honestly afraid to get out.” Officer said, “Yeah, you should be!” This is how U treat soldiers of color who defend this country? pic.twitter.com/E9CoUVjBqp — KID VICIOUS🔪 (@kirkacevedo) April 10, 2021 × The incident captured on video comes at a time of heightened awareness over police arrests of minorities and racial justice, in the wake of the ongoing televised trial of former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody last May. "The lieutenant sent me his cell phone footage first and it was horrifying," Nazario's attorney, Jonathan Arthur, said on Sunday. "But I kept hoping and thinking, you know, that's only one angle. Maybe there's something I'm missing? Maybe the dash cam footage or the body cam footage will show something different? And it didn't. It just got worse from there." Nazario, who is Latino and Black, was in uniform and driving his new SUV with a temporary paper tag displayed on the back window on December 5, when he was told to pull over on US Highway 460 in Windsor, Virginia, a town of about 2,600 residents and about 70 miles southeast of Richmond. When a police cruiser signaled for him to stop, the lawsuit says Nazario put on his blinkers, slowed down and looked for a lighted place to stop. The suit says an officer radioed to dispatch that a driver without a tag was "eluding police" and it was considered a "high-risk stop," and another police officer responded to the scene. Nazario stopped at a nearby gas station, less than two minutes after being signaled to pull over. During the stop, which was captured on police body cameras and Nazario's cell phone, Nazario told police that he was afraid to get out of the vehicle. An officer responded, "Yeah you should be," the suit says. An officer also stated that Nazario was "fixing to ride the lightning," in an apparent reference to execution by electrocution. During the arrest, the suit says Nazario had his hands up, offered no resistance, but was pepper-sprayed and violently knocked to the ground and detained. Ultimately the police chief responded to the scene and Nazario was released without charges, the suit says. After the altercation, the suit says that officer Gutierrez said he understood why Nazario looked for a lighted place to pull over, and said: "I get it, the media spewing race relations between law enforcement and minorities. I get it."

US Army lieutenant sues two Virginia police officers oafter 'horrifying' traffic stop

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US Army lieutenant sues two Virginia police officers oafter 'horrifying' traffic stop