On Friday, the Oklahoma Attorney General announced that he was dropping the criminal charges against a police officer who slammed an elderly Vietnamese American man to the ground, NBC News reports.
The incident occurred in October during a traffic stop. Body camera footage shows Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28, slam 71-year-old Lich Vu to the ground after Vu refuse a traffic citation.
According to KFOR, Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna filed charges against Gibson herself saying he used an unreasonable amount of force. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has dropped those charges.
“As Attorney General, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training,” Drummond said in a statement per NBC News. “While the outcome of this incident is unquestionably devastating for Mr. Vu and his family, I do not believe the officer exhibited criminal intent.”
Thuan Nguyen, president-elect of the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma, told KFOR that Vu’s family and the Vietnamese American community are devastated.
“Our community is just disappointed actually, and is hurting, but more so the family’s hurting,” said Nguyen.
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should have slammed the attorney general’s mother and then see what he has to say
These actions are very disturbing to me. Honestly the State AG has opened up a federal civil rights violation lawsuit. Law enforcement needs to be accountable for their own actions. I feel that the blue wall of silence allows police to do as they wish with no civil or legal repercussions for officers that are above the law. This drives me more to get a program going that I’ve been thinking about to get going. I have to get my ideas down on paper and then find a legal way to get it going. I’m open to suggestions. Any citizen does not need to live in fear from law enforcement.