A Virginia police officer, Joe Gutierrez has been fired after being accused of pepper-spraying a Black-Latino military officer and forcing him to the ground during a traffic stop in December.
Though the incident happened four months again in Town of Windsor, Virginia, video from the officers’ body cameras and Nazario’s cellphone only just went viral last week.
Following the attack, the victim Army Lt. Caron Nazario filed suit seeking more than $1 million against two police officers involved named Joe Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker.
Following an internal investigation, Gutierrez was fired and additional officer training was implemented, Windsor Town Manager William Saunders said in a statement on Sunday.
Saunders stated;
The Town has also requested an investigation of this event by the Virginia State Police, and joins with elected officials who have called for a full and complete review of the actions of these officers. We are saddened for events like this to cast our community in a negative light.
Virginia’s governor, attorney general, a congressman and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) were among those expressing outrage at the actions of Windsor police officers in recent days.
Viral video shows the officers ordering Nazario, who was in uniform, to exit his vehicle outside a petrol station as he held his hands up through the driver’s side window. Nazario said he was afraid to get out of the SUV, then Gutierrez blasted him with pepper spray and be forced to the ground.
WINDSOR POLICE VIA AP
Later in the tape, the officers say they will let Nazario go if he remained quiet about the incident, but that he would face additional charges if he complained. Nazario was later released at the scene and not charged.
During the incident, the two officers also drew their guns, pointing them at Nazario and used a slang term to suggest he was facing execution.
Town authorities said in a statement they were joining calls from election officials, including Governor Ralph Northam to request an investigation by Virginia State Police into the December 2020 encounter.
Following an internal investigation, the town said that Gutierrez did not follow department policy. They did not provide any further information on the other officer involved in the incident, Daniel Crocker, but said the department is requiring additional training.
The town said;
The Town of Windsor prides itself in its small-town charm and the community-wide respect of its Police Department.
Due to this, we are saddened for events like this to cast our community in a negative light. Rather than deflect criticism, we have addressed these matters with our personnel administratively, we are reaching out to community stakeholders to engage in dialogue, and commit ourselves to additional discussions in the future.
At the conclusion of this investigation, it was determined that Windsor Police Department policy was not followed. This resulted in disciplinary action, and department-wide requirements for additional training were implemented beginning in January and continue up to the present. Since that time, Officer Gutierrez was also terminated from his employment.
Nazario in his lawsuit accused the officers of using excessive force, illegally searching his car and violating his constitutional rights.
His attorney, Jonathan Arthur said;
To unbuckle his seatbelt, to do anything, any misstep — he was afraid that they were going to kill him. What prompted him to file is the need to stop this conduct. The need to hold these two officers accountable and make sure they cannot do it again.
Watch a video of the incident below;
Watch: Caron Nazario, a Black Army lieutenant, was driving through Windsor, Va., on Dec. 5, 2020, when two officers drew guns and doused him with pepper spray, according to a lawsuit filed this month. https://t.co/lKlE3KX6Np pic.twitter.com/HhJyQg4AuL
— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 11, 2021
