Texas cop under investigation for roughing up elderly man, 76, during bogus traffic stop (VIDEO)

Officer Nathanial Robinson, 23, of the Victoria Police Department, is seen on camera tackling, wrestling and using a Taser on Pete Vasquez after a stop for an expired inspection sticker. But the police chief says the elderly man never should have been stopped last week because the car had dealer plates, making the vehicle exempt from inspection.

 

 

A disturbing police patrol car dashcam video captures a Texas cop roughing up a 76-year-old man during a traffic stop that police now say was invalid in the first place.

Officer Nathanial Robinson, 23, is on administrative duty as the Victoria Police Department, a city some 120 miles southeast of San Antonio, investigates whether the officer used excessive force on resident Pete Vasquez during a bogus traffic stop Thursday, the Victoria Advocate reported.

Not only is Robinson captured on video slamming Vasquez onto the hood of his cruiser and then wrestling him to the ground, but police also say the officer used his Taser twice on the elderly man during the stop for an expired inspection sticker.

“Public trust is extremely important to us,” Police Chief J.J. Craig told the newspaper. “Sometimes that means you have to take a real hard look at some of the actions that occur within the department.

Vasquez was driving a small car with dealer plates when he was pulled over and approached by Officer Robinson at Adam’s Auto Mart, where Robinson works, according to the Advocate.

Dashcam video shows Vasquez get out of the car, which is owned by the car lot along N. Laurent Street, as Robinson approaches.

Vazquez points to the small building and tells the officer he’ll get the manager to explain the dealer plates, which the elderly man points out to Robinson, a two-year veteran of the department.

A man exits the small building as Vazquez and Robinson appear to gesture and exchange words as the officer grabs the elderly man’s arm, twists it behind his back and slams Vasquez to the hood.

The entire time, rap music is playing at a loud volume from the radio inside Robinson’s patrol car, muffling some of the audio from outside the car.

Robinson then slips his arm under Vasquez’s shoulder and behind his head and wrestles him to the ground as two bystanders come over to observe the commotion.

While the two men are out of the video frame, police said Robinson used his Taser twice to try and subdue the elderly man.

“He just acted like a pit bull, and that was it,” Vasquez told the Advocate. “For a while, I thought he was going to pull his gun and shoot me.”

Eventually, Robinson reappears on screen, pointing his Taser gun and yelling, “Put your hands behind your back, now!”

As Robinson tries to cuff Vasquez, one bystander approaches, pointing and telling the officer, “He’s done nothing.”

“I told the officer, ‘What in the hell are you doing?’ This gentleman is 76 years old,” the man, later identified as 62-year-old lot sales manager Larry Urich, told the newspaper. “The cop told me to stand back, but I didn’t shut up. I told him he was a g—— Nazi Stormtrooper.”

The video later captures an exchange inside the patrol car between a stunned and bruised Vasquez, who is interviewed by a Victoria police sergeant who asks the elderly man about what happened and if he suffered injuries.

Police later took a cuffed Vasquez to a hospital, where he was in custody for two hours before being released without any citation or charge.

Craig, the police chief, confirmed that the car driven by Vasquez was exempt from inspection stickers because of its dealer plates. A driver cited for such a violation is usually ticketed without custody, according to the newspaper.

Robinson could be suspended, given a reprimand or even fired if the department determines he violated the use of force protocol.

“I feel like my rights were violated,” Vasquez told the newspaper. “The police department is supposed to train their police officers to be more conscientious and use common sense. I don’t think he had any.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-investigated-roughing-elderly-man-76-article-1.2046952