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Officer who pepper-sprayed U.S. Army officer fired

A Virginia police officer accused of pepper-spraying and pointing a gun at a uniformed U.S. Army officer during a traffic stop has been fired from the force.

Video of the encounter became public after Leutenant Caron Nazario, who is Latino and Black, filed a federal lawsuit against two cops over the December encounter.

A statement from the Town of Windsor on Sunday said its police department reviewed the incident and determined that Officer Joe Gutierrez did not follow police department protocol.

It said Gutierrez was terminated and that the force would require additional department-wide training.

The Army Lieutenant was driving his new SUV with a temporary paper tag displayed on the back window on December 5th, when he was told to pull over in Windsor, a small Virginia town.

Nazario alleged the officers violated his constitutional rights, with his lawsuit including assault, illegal search and illegal detention.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam on Sunday said he was directing the Virginia State Police to conduct an independent investigation into the case.

The statement from Windsor did not detail any breaches or punishments for the other officer involved in the incident.