{"id":54994,"date":"2025-04-05T19:56:28","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T23:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=54994"},"modified":"2025-04-05T19:56:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T23:56:46","slug":"pastor-files-5-5-million-lawsuit-claiming-hillsborough-deputy-assaulted-him-during-traffic-stop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2025\/04\/05\/pastor-files-5-5-million-lawsuit-claiming-hillsborough-deputy-assaulted-him-during-traffic-stop\/","title":{"rendered":"Pastor files $5.5 million lawsuit claiming Hillsborough deputy assaulted him during traffic stop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soto was charged with resisting arrest without violence but alleges the deputy\u2019s actions were excessive and racially motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"626166\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #626166;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"742\" height=\"412\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85-png.webp?resize=742%2C412&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54995 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85-png.webp?w=742&amp;ssl=1 742w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85-png.webp?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;Pastor Carl Soto, a prominent community activist and co-founder of Black Lives Matter Restoration Inc., filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s Office (HCSO) on Friday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit stems from an August 2024 traffic stop that Soto claims escalated into police brutality, violating his constitutional rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incident, captured on police body camera footage, began when Deputy Alex Almaguer pulled Soto over for a purportedly illegal license plate decal featuring the Joker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The video shows the situation quickly intensifying as Almaguer opened Soto\u2019s car door, grabbed his arm, unholstered a taser, and ultimately handcuffed him on the ground. Soto was charged with resisting arrest without violence but alleges the deputy\u2019s actions were excessive and racially motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis deputy had no regard. Because of his actions, this is a blatant direct violation to my civil rights,\u201d Soto stated during a press conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soto\u2019s attorney, Mauricio Padilla, announced the lawsuit seeks $5.5 million in damages, including compensation for medical expenses and punitive damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soto claims the incident worsened his back injuries from recent surgery and accuses HCSO of failing to provide care under the Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"69623d\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #69623d;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"699\" height=\"378\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85q-png.webp?resize=699%2C378&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54997 not-transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85q-png.webp?w=699&amp;ssl=1 699w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85q-png.webp?resize=300%2C162&amp;ssl=1 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite filing the lawsuit, Soto previously submitted an apology to HCSO in October 2024, acknowledging that his own actions contributed to the arrest. However, he maintains that the traffic stop was unjustified and believes he was targeted due to his race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">HCSO spokesperson Amanda Granit defended Deputy Almaguer\u2019s conduct when the body cam footage was released last year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis deputy was trying to have this resolved\u2026time and time again,\u201d Granit said. \u201cThis didn\u2019t have to end this way, but it did because of Mr. Soto\u2019s actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Soto confirmed that criminal charges against him have been dropped.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His lawsuit also names a sergeant present during the incident and asserts systemic failures within HCSO.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the legal battle unfolds, Soto continues to demand accountability for what he describes as racial profiling and excessive force.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-dominant-color=\"e4e4e7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"444\" height=\"960\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/489041177_984685717186142_3706164502505556226_n.webp?resize=444%2C960&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54996 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4e4e7; width:682px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/489041177_984685717186142_3706164502505556226_n.webp?w=444&amp;ssl=1 444w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/489041177_984685717186142_3706164502505556226_n.webp?resize=139%2C300&amp;ssl=1 139w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Soto was charged with resisting arrest without violence but alleges the deputy\u2019s actions were excessive and racially motivated. &nbsp;Pastor Carl Soto, a prominent community activist and co-founder of Black Lives&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54995,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"14","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNVwvMDRcL1NjcmVlbnNob3QtODUtcG5nLndlYnA_Zml0PTc0MiUyQzQxMiZzc2w9MSIsInR4dCI6IlBhc3RvciBmaWxlcyAkNS41IG1pbGxpb24gbGF3c3VpdCBjbGFpbWluZyBIaWxsc2Jvcm91Z2ggZGVwdXR5IGFzc2F1bHRlZCBoaW0gZHVyaW5nIHRyYWZmaWMgc3RvcCIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImJsb2dfaWQiOjE2MzA0MDY2MX0.U6DfkozmuLlkjee1o3YmNPng06YCi5zGI-sKlyxflFcMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":54995,"url":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-85-png.webp","type":"image\/png"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[11264],"class_list":["post-54994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-pastor-files-5-5-million-lawsuit-claiming-hillsborough-deputy-assaulted-him-during-traffic-stop"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54994"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54994\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54998,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54994\/revisions\/54998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54995"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}