Jury: police officer did not use excessive force in violent traffic stop

SALT LAKE CITY — In the video, the police officer throws Cesar Medina to the ground moments after pulling up behind the man's vehicle.

What precipitated the incident was the subject of a federal trial, which ended Thursday with a jury verdict that West Valley police officer Jared Cardon did not use excessive force — and that Medina should receive nothing in punitive damages.

The way Cardon tells it, the routine traffic stop had turned into a volatile situation with a non-compliant driver.

"I felt there were many things outside my control at that point," he testified. "I felt they were escalating."

So Cardon said he turned to physical force, eventually throwing Medina to the ground, handcuffing him and citing him for speeding, running a stop sign and disorderly conduct.

But Medina said he was just driving to his girlfriend's house on July 18, 2009 — as he had countless days before — for a day of birthday festivities. He saw the officer following him, but didn't know why. He understood even less when the officer parked behind him and approached.

"I remember thinking something had gone wrong," he said. "Something had happened, so I just go with it. The officer turns me around and pushes me against the truck and I let him do that. I remember thinking, 'This is a misunderstanding.'"

Medina sued Cardon in federal court, alleging that the officer used excessive force and violated his constitutionally afforded protection against unreasonable search and seizure during that July 18, 2009 stop. Both men took the stand Wednesday — the second-day of a three-day jury trial.

Medina testified that he saw the officer following him a few blocks before he arrived at his girlfriend's house and was especially aware of his driving. He didn't want anything to ruin his birthday.

"I was constantly checking my speedometer and all my mirrors, so I was very careful driving down that road," he said. "I wasn't nervous, I just didn't want anything to happen that day."

Cardon said he saw Medina roll through a stop sign and initiated his traffic lights. He said he followed Medina until the man parked his car, but the man failed to comply with his repeated requests to stay in the vehicle.

"From the perspective I had, (Medina) never made any attempt to comply with that last command or any command I made," he testified. "What I saw was an upset young man who was non-compliant with verbal commands."