A video has went viral after Lt. Caron Nazario was pepper sprayed and thrown to the ground over a simple traffic stop.
A fully uniformed Nazario, who is Black and Latino, feared for his life last December after being pulled over for no rear license plate. It escalated when Nazario drove a little under a mile with intent to get into a well lit area. Officer Daniel Crocker radioed in that Nazario was eluding police and considered it a "high-risk traffic stop." It is important to note, the license plate was seen in the window of the car once in a lit area. Officer Joe Guiterrez was nearby and stopped to assist. This is when things took a turn for the worse. At one point in the video after receiving conflicting instructions to put his hands out the window and open the door and get out, you can hear Lt. Nazario say "I'm honestly afraid to get out." Officer Guiterrez responds with "Yeah, you should be!" Not too long after that did Officer Guiterrez begin pepper spraying Lt. Nazario at a very close range with his dog in the car.
Lt. Nazario is now suing these officers of illegally searching his car, use of excessive force and violating his rights under the 1st Amendment. He is seeking $1 million in damages.
Lt. Nazario also says these officer threatened to destroy his military career if he complained about their actions or conduct.
Check out the video below.