One officer has been placed on administrative leave by the Oklahoma City Police Department after body camera footage shows him hurling a 70-year-old man to the ground during a traffic ticket disagreement.
Hospitalized for “serious injuries” after the Oct. 27 incident was Lich Vu. The Oklahoma City Police Department shared the footage on Facebook.
The Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma’s president-elect, Thuan Nguyen, told USA Today that he saw Vu in the hospital last week and that he was on a feeding tube following a neck injury and brain bleed.
“In our community, we want to make sure we see justice in that these things don’t happen to another person,” Nguyen stated.
Officer Joseph Gibson was placed on leave by the police department while an investigation was conducted; the findings will be given to the district attorney’s office in Oklahoma County.
“The Oklahoma City Police Department is dedicated to transparency and accountability,” the agency stated. “We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated and the review process will take time to complete. We ask for your patience as we work to conclude this investigation.”
Following Vu’s involvement in a small collision with another vehicle, the incident started.
In the video, Gibson issues a ticket to Vu for doing an unlawful U-turn and requests his signature, explaining that doing so would not be seen as an admission of guilt. Gibson graciously gave Vu an explanation for the ticket he was giving him.
On the footage, Vu is seen arguing and making gestures while pointing to the street in an attempt to clarify what transpired during the encounter. “We don’t argue on the side of the road,” Gibson stated. “We argue in court.”
If Vu didn’t sign the citation, Gibson threatened to put him in jail.
“I’m ready to go to jail,” Vu stated.
“You’re ready to go to jail?” Gibson stated. “Ridiculous. OK. That involves impounding your car, too.”
In order to give a ticket to the other driver involved in the collision, Gibson moved away from where Vu was standing and came back to Vu and a woman who had been in the car with him and was now standing behind him.
Following an argument, Vu seems to hit Gibson with the back of his hand close to the location of his body camera.
“You shut up!” Vu said. A scuffle ensued at which point Gibson can be seen grabbing and twisting Vu’s arm and throwing him to the concrete sidewalk. “Get on the ground,” Gibson stated.
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For the remainder of the video, Vu remains motionless. Leaning close to Vu’s face, the lady tells Gibson, “I need the ambulance.” Gibson requested that an ambulance be sent to the location.
According to Nguyen, communication with law enforcement may be hampered by language issues. In the video, it was unclear whether Vu really comprehended Gibson’s words.
Nguyen went on to say that if the investigation reveals that Gibson used excessive force, the Vietnamese community wants Gibson held responsible. This includes training officers on how to communicate more effectively with members of non-native English-speaking communities and making sure that people are aware of their rights in police encounters.
