Police Ordered to Pay After Traffic Stop

A Virginia jury ordered Town of Windsor Police Officers Joseph Gutierrez and Daniel Crocker to pay Army Lt. Caron Nazario for damages following a December 2020 traffic stop.

The jury ordered Crocker to pay Nazario $1,000 and Gutierrez to pay $2,685 in damages. Lt. Nazario had sued for $1.5 million.

Nazario's lawyers argued he was assaulted and falsely imprisoned when he was pepper sprayed, struck, and handcuffed during the 2020 traffic stop.

They said Officer Crocker acted unreasonably by assuming Nazario was preparing to ambush him after he initiated his siren and lights over a missing license plate.

Because of that assumption, Crocker termed the stop a felony traffic stop and immediately pulled his gun on Nazario when Nazario stopped at a gas station.

Attorneys for the officers said the jury's decision showed the officers' actions were generally reasonable.

"The jury had the opportunity to view the massive videotapes, three of them, one from the point of himself, two from the police officers, and go through every alleged tort that we were challenged and the only thing they found was an assault with a very minimal amount of damages against Officer Gutierrez. And against our client, Officer Crocker, $1,000 in damages for the search, which we admitted, he didn't follow the proper procedure," attorney Richard Matthews said. "We feel the verdict was fair, it was courageous on the part of the jury, given the political climate. And we're very pleased."