Madison incident: police officer arrested

At a press conference Madison, Albama, police chief Larry Muncey announced that the police officer who brutalized Sureshbhai Patel, a 57 on February 6, has been arrested and charged with 3rd degree assault. “Officer was wrong, I apologize,” Muncey said moting that FBI will assess situation.

At the press conference the audio and video of the incident were played. In the audio it is heard, a caller reporting one person wandering the neighborhood decribing him as skinny, black guy in his 30s.

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Madison police officer Eric Parker today turned himself in to face assault charges, following the severe injuries to an Indian citizen who was walking down the street outside his son's new home.

Chief Larry Muncey told a small press conference in Madison that he also recommended that Parker be fired for his use of force against a man who committed no crime, did not speak English and could not understand the commands.

Muncey said "I found that Officer Eric Parker's actions did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department."

Five members of the local Indian community sat in the front row, along with Indian Consul Anil Kumar, to watch the video from the patrol cars and listen to the non-emergency call that led to the violent confrontation.

The caller early Friday morning reports an individual walking on the street near his home. "He was doing it yesterday and today...He's just on foot. He's just kind of walking around close to the garage."

The operator asks what the man looks like. "He's a skinny black guy, he's got a toboggan on, he's really skinny."

He adds: "I've lived here four years and I've never seen him before."

Sureshbhai Patel had only arrived in the United States about a week earlier to help care for his grandson. Patel took a walk each morning, according to his son, Chirag Patel, an engineer who recently bought a home in Madison.

The caller says: "I'm just kind of following from a distance now." He says he is about to go to work and is nervous to leave his wife with the man walking around outside. 

The dashboard camera shows two officers, field trainer Parker and his trainee Andrew Slaughter, approach the man just after 8 a.m. on Friday. The man stops and turns and steps toward them. The audio offers a clips of the interaction, mainly just what the officers say.

"What's going on sir?"

You what?"

"India."

"Where you heading?"

"Where?"

"I can't understand you, sir."

"Where's your address?"

"Do you have any ID?"

"India?"

"Do you live here."

"Sir, sir, come here."

"Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?"

Eventually, the two officers turn Patel around and have his hands behind his back. At one point, as another patrol car pulls up, Parker yanks his arm and slams him into the ground. Patel can not put out his hands to break his fall. He would require cervical fusion and remains in Huntsville Hospital with limited mobility in his limbs. His son as of Tuesday said his father could not move one leg at all. 

The video continues, with officers trying to get the man to stand. One officer begins picking dirt and debris off of him. The concern slowly becomes evident in their voices.

"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?"

Parker turned himself in to Limestone County today, said Chief Muncey. He will face charges of assault third degree. Muncey apologized to Patel, his family and all of Madison. "Our desire is to exceed everyone's expectations."

Parker was released on a $1,000 bond.

Muncey said the FBI is conducting a "parallel inquiry to ascertain if there were any federal violations."

Attorney Hank Sherrod filed suit today in federal court, arguing police used excessive force and that they had no cause to stop Patel on a public sidewalk and search him.

Sherrod welcomed the news of the dismissal of this officer, as he called for exactly that on Tuesday. But Sherrod said Madison should never have released a statement suggesting that Patel had been looking into garages or was in any way responsible for the incident.

"They didn't do that on Monday," said Sherrod. "On Monday they were trying to blame Mr. Patel. On Monday they were minimizing this. I'm glad they apparently are starting to do the right thing. But why weren't they doing this on Monday? With those videos."

Members of the local Hindu community, who asked not to be named, said after the press conference that they are known for non-violence. "We don't hurt nobody, that is our principle...we don't hurt the snake."