An Oklahoma City police officer faces felony assault charges for slamming a 71-year-old man to the ground during a dispute over a traffic ticket. The incident, which occurred in October, gave the elderly man severe injuries, including a broken neck, a broken eye socket, and a brain bleed.
On October 27, Officer Joseph Gibson responded to a minor accident involving 71-year-old Lich Vu. In body camera footage of the incident, the pair began arguing after Gibson told Vu that he was going to “have to write you a ticket for improper U-turn.”
“I didn’t U-turn,” Vu replied.
When Gibson directed Vu to sign a document agreeing to “take care” of the citation, Vu appeared confused and refused to sign.
“We are not arguing about this, OK?” said Gibson. “We argue in court….If you don’t sign this, you go to jail, OK? I don’t want to take you to jail.”
Vu continued to dispute the ticket. Eventually, video shows him growing frustrated, lightly slapping Gibson’s chest, and saying “Shut up.” Immediately, Gibson grabbed Vu’s wrists and slammed him to the ground. Video shows Vu’s face striking the pavement and the elderly man lying motionless as Gibson handcuffs him.
The Associated Press reports that Vu was taken to a local hospital, where he is still receiving treatment.
On Thursday, Gibson was charged with one count of aggravated assault and battery. “The Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office takes all use-of-force incidents very seriously,” District Attorney Vicki Behenna commented in a statement. “We evaluate the law and the facts in each individual case, and in this particular case determined the Officer’s actions were an unreasonable use-of-force.
The Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police is backing Gibson, stating that the officer “handled this call for service with professionalism.” The group added: “It is very disappointing to see a police officer face felony charges for actions taken in good faith while serving in the line of duty. Sgt. Gibson followed his de-escalation training and protocol when assaulted.”
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