Lawsuit: Virginia police officers threatened man during stop

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — A second lieutenant in the U.S. Army is suing two Virginia police officers over a traffic stop during which the officers drew their guns, pointed them at him, and used a slang term to suggest he was facing execution.

Footage shows Caron Nazario had his hands in the air as he told the armed officers, “I’m honestly afraid to get out.”

One of the officers responded, “Yeah, you should be!”

He then pepper-sprayed Nazario, who is Black and Latino.

An officer said Nazario’s SUV had tinted windows, didn’t have a rear license plate, and had been “eluding police.”

Nazario’s attorney Jonathan Arthur says his client was trying to stop in a well-lit area.

According to the Associated Press, when asked how his client was after the incident, Arthur said “he’s definitely not doing too well.”

In an interview with the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, the town manager said that officers Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez still work for the department, The AP reported.

Windsor is about 70 miles from Richmond.