A Texas police officer is under investigation for using a stun gun on a 76-year-old mechanic he had pulled over for an expired inspection certificate.
In dashboard-cam footage uploaded by local newspaper the Victoria Advocate, officer Nathaniel Robinson, who is 23, can be seen slamming Pete Vasquez on to the hood of the police car. He then puts him in a restrictive hold, before the two abruptly fall out of the camera’s field of vision.
Soon after, Robinson returns into sight holding his stun gun, shouting “put your hands behind your back.”
Police later confirmed the stun gun had been used twice on Vasquez.
The car was a dealer vehicle, and so Vasquez was exempt from being cited. If he had been cited, an expired inspection certificate is a class C misdemeanour.
The Victoria police chief, Jeffrey Craig, told the Advocate that he was opening an investigation into the incident. “Public trust is extremely important to us. Sometimes that means you have to take a real hard look at some of the actions that occur within the department,” he said. Craig also apologised to Vasquez.
Larry Urich, a co-worker of Vasquez who witnessed the incident, told the Guardian that he made Robinson aware that the car had dealer plates, and that the expired sticker was not a violation. He said he had called Robinson a “goddamned Nazi stormtrooper”.
“It’s a tragedy,” Urich said. “There was absolutely no reason to grab and try and restrain this 76-year-old guy. This was a muscled-up cop who was in absolutely no distress whatsoever.” Urich said that he saw Vasquez Sunday evening, and that his shoulder, back and arm were hurting. “I’ve known the guy for years,” he said. “He’s a nice, sweet, gentle man. I’ve never seen him be smart-aleck, or rude to anyone.”
Urich said that he had the utmost respect for the Victoria police department, but that in his opinion this should be a firing offence for Robinson. “You just don’t do this to senior citizens.”
