The Texas police officer fired for using a Taser on a 76-year-old man will appeal the Victoria Police Department’s decision to terminate him, according to the Victoria Advocate.
The officer’s lawyer, Greg Cagle, doesn’t believe the he violated department policy or the law.
“It came at a bad time in the country – the timing of it was bad, but clearly the stop was legal, the detention was lawful, the request for the guy to stand there was a lawful, legal request, and then his resistance was a basis for him to be arrested,” he said.
Officer Nathaniel Robinson in December confronted Victoria resident Pete Vasquez over the expired inspection sticker on the car he was driving.
According to dashcam footage, Vasquez resisted arrest when Robinson went to handcuff him. Robinson then slammed Vasquez onto the patrol car, pushed him to the ground, and used a Taser twice.
Because Vasquez was driving a vehicle owned by the car dealership for which he worked, the car was exempt from inspection requirements.
The Victoria Police Department investigated the incident and fired Robinson for violating department policies on use of force, conduct, and arrests without a warrant.
According to Cagle, Vasquez’s level of resistance to arrest warranted Robinson’s response.
“There’s nothing unreasonable at all about that level of force,” he said.
Cagle will present the appeal to the city manager within the next two weeks.
The Texas Rangers are leading a criminal investigation into the incident, which will be reviewed by the Victoria County District Attorney’s office.
