Alabama: The Alabama Police on Thursday released a video showing an officer throwing a gentle Indian grandfather to the ground brutally.
The video of the incident, recorded from inside a patrol vehicle, show 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel standing with his hands behind his back with two uniformed officers in a residential neighbourhood.
Then an officer abruptly flips him to the ground, leaving him partially paralysed and unable to move.
Officer Eric Parker, who violently pushed him and was arrested eventually, is heard in the video repeating that the man "can't speak... a little English”.
Here is the detailed account of what is shown in the video:
Field trainer Parker and his trainee Andrew Slaughter are seen surrounding Patel.
"What's going on sir?"
"You what?"
"India."
"Come here. What do you have?"
"Where you heading?"
"Where?"
"I can't understand you, sir."
"Where's your address?"
"Stop walking"
"Do you have any ID?"
"No ID"
"What's your name?"
"India?"
"Do you live here?"
"Do you live in this neighbourhood?"
"What is your address? Where are you going?"
"Sir, sir, come here."
"Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand what am I saying?"
The two officers turn Patel around and have his hands behind his back. Then an officer abruptly flips him to the ground. The video shows officers trying to get Patel to stand.
"He don't speak a lick of English."
"I tried to pat him down but he tried to walk away from me."
"I don't know what his problem is but he won't listen."
"He was trying to walk away."
"Did you bite your lip?"
"He OK?"
Albeit police officials in Madison, Alabama, have apologised to Patel and his family at a news conference on Thursday afternoon, but the Indian man has sued the city and two officers in a civil rights complaint, alleging race factored into his treatment.
One of the officers involved in the incident last Friday had been arrested on an assault charge, and officials had recommended he be fired.
Patel, who speaks no English, moved from India to northern Alabama about two weeks ago to help his son's family care for a 17-month-old child, said his lawyer, Henry Sherrod.
He was walking on the sidewalk outside his son’s home around 9 am, when police said they received a call about a suspicious person, according to the lawsuit in the US Northern District of Alabama.
Patel told police officers who stopped him: “No English, Indian,” and gave the house number for his son, the suit said.
A police officer then tossed Patel, who weighs about 130 pounds, to the ground, according to the complaint.
He was severely injured, requiring surgery to relieve pressure on his spinal cord, the complaint said. He has regained some movement in his arms and legs but remains weak, his attorney said.
“I just can’t believe what they did to this very gentle man who wanted nothing more than to go out for a walk,” Sherrod said.
The police said in an earlier statement that Patel put his hands in his pockets and tried to pull away as officers patted him down.
(With Agency inputs)
