AN ALABAMA policeman has been charged with assault after a grandfather recently arrived from India said he was left partially paralyzed when an officer threw him to the ground during a morning walk, authorities said last Thursday (February 12).
Sureshbhai Patel, 57, sued the city and two officers in a civil rights complaint filed on Thursday, alleging race factored into his treatment, his attorney said. The FBI said it was also investigating.
Police officials in Madison, Alabama, apologized to Patel and his family at a news conference on Thursday afternoon. They said one of the officers involved in the incident had been arrested on an assault charge, and officials had recommended he be fired.
The assault, which occurred on February 6 in Madison, Alabama, was captured on the police car's dashcam video and widely seen on the Internet.
Madison police chief Larry Muncey said in a statement on Thursday that the officer, Eric Parker, has been arrested and charged with assault in third degree.
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.
Patel was transferred from Huntsville hospital, where he was initially treated, to a rehabilitation centre following an improvement in his condition, Sherrod added.
“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.
Asked if he believed the assault was racially motivated, the attorney said: “No, I would definitely not use that phrase. That is inflammatory and unhelpful in discussing this case.
“This case is about police abuse of power and police accountability.”
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.
Police on Thursday released video of the incident, recorded from inside a patrol vehicle. It showed Patel standing with his hands behind his back with two uniformed officers in a residential neighborhood.
Then an officer abruptly flipped him to the ground.
Police also shared a recording of the suspicious person call, which had been questioned by Patel's attorney.
The officer involved “did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison Police Department”, Police Chief Larry Muncey told reporters.
The federal probe results will be turned over to the US Department of Justice, said an Alabama FBI spokesman.
Last week, the Indian government said it had asked the US to “urgently investigate” the incident.
“We expressed concern at what appears from media reports as the excessive use of force by police,” Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said after meeting with a senior US diplomat.
“We have requested expeditious investigations and sharing of investigations and that action (be) taken,” he added.
In Washington DC, the US government expressed condolences to Patel's family, but refrained to comment on any diplomatic discussion with India.
“The Secretary (of State) and the State Department certainly express our strong condolences to the family for everything that he has been through,” state department spokesperson Jen Psaki said.
On Tuesday (February 17), Alabama governor apologized for the “unfortunate” use of excessive force by the state police against Patel.
Governor Robert Bentley also ordered the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to launch a parallel investigation into the episode.
“'Please accept our sincere apology for this tragic incident to your government, Patel, and the citizens of India who reside and work in our state,” Bentley said in a letter written to India's general consul in Atlanta, Ajit Kumar.
“'I deeply regret the unfortunate use of excessive force by the Madison Police Department on Sureshbhai Patel and for the injuries sustained by Mr Patel,” he said.
“'I sincerely hope that Mr Patel continues to improve and that he will regain full use of his legs,” he said in the letter.
The governor's letter comes after some US lawmakers described the incident as “horrible and tragic”. “This week's incident in Alabama that left an Indian grandfather visiting his American family partially paralysed is horrible and tragic,” said Congressman Ami Bera, co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans and the only Indian American in the current Congress.
“I'm glad officials have acted quickly to respond and that the FBI has opened an investigation.
“Moving forward, we must come together as a nation to tackle the very real issues our minority communities face, and to rebuild trust and understanding among law enforcement agencies and the diverse communities that they serve.”
Bera's sentiments were echoed by Democratic Congresswoman from New York Grace Meng.
“We will be watching closely to see what happens with this case, and we hope and pray that Sureshbhai Patel recovers from his injury. We have reason to be concerned over this and other recent incidents that may be directed towards the Muslim and south Asian communities,”she said.
“Nobody in our society must ever be subjected to hate and violence. All Americans have a responsibility to raise their voice and condemn bigotry when and wherever it occurs.
“Our fight against intolerance must continue until all hate crimes are a thing of the past,” Meng said.
An online fund raising campaign has collected $187,000 for Patel's medical expenses. More than 4,300 people have contributed to it. Patel did not have health insurance when he arrived in the US.
