Two Miami-Dade County police officers were exonerated in an excessive force case. Passenger Robert Valderrama sued the officers after he suffered a midsection gunshot after a 2006 vehicle stop. He claimed he was shot in the front seat. Valderrama, whose received hospital treatment, was arrested on cocaine and paraphernalia possession charges, but the charges were later dropped. He also claimed a delay summoning emergency personnel.
The defense argued the car was stopped because an officer saw a pedestrian approach the car and hand Valderrama a metallic object that appeared to be a weapon. The jury found no rights violations by the officers nor deliberate indifference to medical needs.
