A former Virginia officer will not see criminal charges for pepper spraying and striking a Black US Army lieutenant during a traffic stop, according to The Associated Press. Instead, he’ll be investigated for violating the lieutenant’s constitutional rights following the lieutenant’s lawsuit.
In 2020, Caron Nazario pulled into a gas station and two officers approached him with their guns drawn, per Nazario’s lawsuit. The officers stopped him because his rear license plate was not visible. They attempted to pull him out of his car and during the interaction he kept his hands in the air. Per the suit, one officer, Joe Gutierrez, pepper sprayed Nazario multiple times while yelling at him to get out.
When Nazario stepped out of the car, he asked for a supervisor and in response was struck in the knee and knocked to the ground. The other officer, Daniel Crocker, joined Gutierrez in striking Nazario on the ground. Images of the traffic stop sparked outrage and raised concerns of racial bias in the area.
Source: Officer Escapes Criminal Charges After Pepper Spraying Army Lieutenant
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