Democracy Now! speaks with the lawyer for a lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps who is suing two Virginia police officers who pepper-sprayed him, pushed him to the ground and pointed their guns at him during a traffic stop at a gas station last December.

Video of the encounter has gone viral and shows Caron Nazario, who is a Black and Latino man, was wearing his Army uniform during the stop. When Nazario says he's afraid to get out of his car, one officer responds, "You should be." Nazario says he drove about a mile to the gas station after he noticed a police car flashing its lights at him — a common practice to avoid pulling over on a dark road.

It is shocking that a police officer "felt it appropriate to threaten a man with state-sanctioned murder" for simply asking why he was pulled over, says Jonathan Arthur, Nazario's attorney. "My client's looking just to hold these officers accountable under law."

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. lOur reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On DN!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

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Amy Goodman Black Lives Matter Caron Nazario Democracy Now! Free Speech TV Jonathan Arthur Police Brutality United States Virginia