RICHMOND, Va. — In Richmond, court is adjourned until Friday in the $1 million lawsuit filed by Army Lieutenant Caron Nazario.
An expert witness from the plaintiff's side unexpectedly could not make it to court in time on Thursday. Their testimony is expected on Friday.
However, several witnesses did take the stand, including two experts in police practices. Both experts, called forth by the defense, defended officer Daniel Crocker and former police officer Joe Gutierrez.
The Dec. 2020 traffic stop in question started when officers tried to pull Nazario over, claiming his car didn't have a rear license plate. Nazario drove to a gas station where officers pointed guns and ended up pepper spraying him. Officers then put him on the ground and searched his car.
Both experts said on the stand that the officers responded as best they could because of Nazario's non-compliance.
They testified that officers must establish control both for their own safety and for the safety of whomever they pull over. To establish control, they said officers can use force including batons, tasers, and pepper spray.
Previously, Nazario said under oath several times that he was unable to follow all of the officers' commands because they contradicted each other. These experts called by the defense disagreed, and said the commands must be followed in sequence.
To only follow some, these experts said, is to be non-compliant.
Nazario's lawyer, Jonathan Arthur, was able to cross-examine the expert witnesses and pushed them on the level of force used.
A rebuttal witness was later brought forward by Arthur in opposition to the experts' testimony.
Friday is expected to include closing arguments for the trial. A verdict could be reached as early as Friday.