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A Black man who was fully restrained in a chair when a white sheriff’s sergeant in Boulder County, Colorado, used a Taser on him alleges race was a “motivating factor” in the decision to use excessive force, according to a newly filed federal lawsuit.

The plaintiff, Travis Cole, says the incident on the night of Sept. 21, 2020, at the Boulder County Jail has left him traumatized and distrustful of law enforcement.

“I had a fine respect for officers of the law, but now I have a fear,” Cole, 34, told NBC News on Monday. “I don’t feel they’re here to protect and serve.”

The sergeant who deployed the stun gun, Christopher Mecca, resigned in the wake of the incident in lieu of termination and was arrested on misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault and official misconduct. A jury convicted him in December 2021 and he was sentenced to probation.

Cole’s attorney, Mari Newman, said it was a failure of training on the part of the department and Mecca’s superiors for allowing “unconstitutional” conduct to occur.

Mecca “made a conscious decision to use force in a way that he thought he could get away with,” Newman said. “He took Travis’ race into account when deciding what kind of excessive force to use against him.”