An Oklahoma City Police Sergeant was charged with a felony on Thursday for an alleged assault on an elderly Vietnamese American man while responding to a non-injury collision in October.
Body camera footage released by Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) shows Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28, throwing Licha Vu, 71, to the ground headfirst after Vu refused to receive a citation for an illegal U-turn.
Vu suffered orbital and neck fractures and a brain bleed, and remains hospitalized, according to CBS News.
OKCPD released a statement ten days after the incident promising to fully investigate the excessive use of force. Gibson was placed on administrative leave, they said.
The incident has alarmed the international Vietnamese community, Thuan Nguyen, president-elect of the Vietnamese Community of Oklahoma told KOCO News 5. The community seeks maximum justice, Nguyen said.
Nguyen, who knows Vu personally, told News On 6 that Vu and his wife were headed home after church, when a car crashed into them at an intersection. There were no injuries.
Sgt. Gibson, sent over to investigate the collision, attempted to cite Vu for what he alleged was an illegal U-turn. Body camera footage shows confusion on the part of Vu that he was being cited.
“She is hitting me and I get a citation?” Vu objected. The ensuing argument shows a clear language gap with Vu struggling to understand why he was being cited, with Sgt. Gibson attempting to explain what he perceived was an illegal U-turn.
The argument continued with Vu getting out of the car to gesticulate towards the intersection to explain how the collision occurred. Google Maps data shows the collision occurred around the intersection of NW 39th St and N. Meridian Ave.
At a heated moment, Vu is heard saying “shut up!” and tapping the officer on his chest. Footage then shows the officer instantly twisting Vu’s arms behind him, throwing him to the ground in a “takedown,” and handcuffing him. Vu hit the pavement headfirst.
“No no no please, sir,” his wife is heard saying. Vu lays motionless after the fall.
The Oklahoma County District Attorney, Vicki Zemp Behanna, released a statement on Facebook on Thursday saying that their investigation had shown that Sgt. Gibson’s use of force was unreasonable in this case. They have filed one count of Aggravated Assault and Battery against him.
Vu, who is a veteran, remains hospitalized and is fading in and out of consciousness, his daughter told News 9.
Asian leaders have since met OKCPD to discuss reforms, such as how to bridge the language gap, reported AsAmNews.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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