Sureshbhai Patel, 58, left partially paralyzed when he was
slammed to the ground during a police stop in Alabama testified that he'd been
in the state only about a week when he was confronted by officers investigating
a call about a suspicious person, The Telegraph reported.
Patel was pushed in a wheelchair to the witness stand in US
District Court in Huntsville,
where he testified through an interpreter against Officer Eric Parker during
the opening day of testimony. Parker is accused of violating Patel's civil
rights during the police stop Feb. 6 in Madison,
a suburban city of about 46,500 just west of Huntsville.
Patel was walking in his son's neighborhood when police
responding to a call about a suspicious person stopped to question him. A
police video captured an officer slamming the man to the ground, partially
paralyzing him.
Patel recounted how
he was staying with his son on a visit from India and had been out for a
morning walk in the neighborhood when police approached. He said he doesn't
speak English and couldn't understand the orders police gave him.
Cameras in patrol cars recorded the scene as Parker swept
one of his legs in front of Patel, slamming him to the ground.
"My two hands, my two legs they all became cold and
numb," Patel said, testifying through interpreter.
Patel later recalled that he couldn't stand after officers
tried lifting him up. Patel's family has said he still has trouble walking and
that the family faces hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Madison
police officer Charles Spence testified Wednesday morning that Parker had
Patel's hands behind his back when he arrived and that he didn't think Patel
needed to be detained because he didn't appear to pose a threat or resist
officers. Spence said Patel was knocked down, then handcuffed and the cuffs
were taken off when it became clear that he was hurt.
Video, which was slowed down and enlarged for jurors, was
shown in court while Spence was on the witness stand.
In the video, Patel can be seen turning his head toward
Parker just before he was knocked down. Before and after the takedown, officers
are heard several times trying unsuccessfully to communicate with Patel, who
had repeatedly said "No English."
Parker and his attorney, Robert Tuten, have said Patel
repeatedly tried jerking away from officers and reached for his pockets.
Patel denied those claims through his interpreter and said
he stopped when officers ordered him to because he heard them shout — not
because he understood what they were saying. Patel also said officers
"checked his pants" before he was slammed down.
Police were called after a neighbor reported a thin black
man walking around looking at houses. Spence said he initially passed Patel and
kept looking for a black man who fit the description.
Prosecutors dismissed the defense's argument that the use of
force was justified. They noted that officers were seeking a person based on a
vague description and that Patel wasn't engaged in any criminal activity.
"We could imagine some ghastly scenarios, right?"
prosecutor Robert Posey asked after Tuten mentioned hypothetical situations a
suspicious person could have been involved in. "But that doesn't mean you
get to treat everybody like a home invasion killer," Posey said.
Police are trained to be suspicious and must always expect
the worst, Tuten said during opening statements. He called Patel's injuries
unfortunate and characterized the encounter as an escalation of police tactics,
not a criminal offense.
"They say excessive force, Officer Parker says
reasonable under the circumstances," Tuten said, later adding. "It's
unfortunate that Mr. Patel doesn't speak English. It's also unfortunate that
Mr. Parker doesn't speak Hindi."
Patel, a farmer from Gujarat,
India, speaks
Gujarati. His son, Chirag Patel, said he spent the last nine years working to
bring his parents to the United
States.
Chirag Patel said he hadn't thought of telling his father to
carry identification during his usual morning walks strolling down the block
and back.
The elder man, who is now undergoing physical
rehabilitation, has since been joined by his wife and now lives in Alabama with his son.
Parker is being fired by the city of Madison but has appealed and the termination
process is on hold until criminal charges are resolved.
Court documents show Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey is
expected to testify for prosecutors that Parker's actions violated department
procedures. He publicly apologized to Patel.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley called Patel's treatment a case
of "excessive force" in an apologetic letter to the Indian
government.
Parker also faces a state assault charge. Patel filed a
federal lawsuit seeking an unspecified amount of money for his injuries.
Read more here:
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