Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) announced on Sunday directing Virginia State Police to conduct an independent investigation into a December traffic stop that ended with two Windsor police officers scattering an Army officer.
“The Windsor incident is disturbing and angered me and I am directing Virginia state police to conduct an independent investigation,” Northam wrote in a statement posted on Twitter.
“Our Commonwealth has done important work in police reform, but we must continue to work to ensure that Virginians are safe during interactions with the police, that law enforcement is fair and equitable, and that people become responsible, ”he continued.
My statement on the meeting between Lieutenant Caron Nazario and two officers from the Windsor Police Department: pic.twitter.com/GcfL5YeIRm
– Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) April 11, 2021
Caron Nazario, the army’s second lieutenant, filed a lawsuit earlier this month arguing that officers violated their constitutional rights during a traffic stop in the southeastern city of Windsor, about 46 miles[46 km]away. west of Virginia Beach.
In the body camera images shared online by The Associated Press, you can see Nazario, who is black and Latin, sitting in his car parked at a gas station, dressed in a uniform with his hands raised, while the two officers point with his arms towards him.
Officers were captured in a video ordering Nazario to get out of his vehicle, to which he responds, “I’m sincerely afraid to get out.”
“Yeah, you should be, get out!” one of the agents can be heard responding.
Windsor police officer Daniel Crocker, according to The AP, had previously radioed the station saying he was trying to pull a vehicle with tinted windows that appeared to have no rear license plate.
Another officer, Joe Gutierrez, answered Crocker’s call and joined him at the scene.
Crocker said the situation was a “high-risk traffic stop,” as he claimed the driver was “evading police.”
Nazario, however, says he was not trying to escape from the officer driving home from his destination, but wanted to stop in a well-lit area “for the safety of officers and out of respect for officers.”
In the lawsuit, Nazario argued that once officers arrived at the gas station, their back license plate was clearly visible, but officers immediately threw down their weapons and aimed them at Nazario.
In the statement, Northam said he invited Nazario to meet soon, adding that “we must all continue the broader dialogue on reform in our country.”
The Hill contacted the Windsor Police Department and Virginia State Police for comment.