A Madison, Ala., police officer seen on video slamming an Indian man to the ground as he attempted to question him has been indicted on a charge related to use of unreasonable force, Reuters reports that federal prosecutors confirmed Friday.
Officer Eric Parker, whose department has since recommended his termination, was indicted by a grand jury late Thursday.
The officer was caught on tape early February throwing Indian national Sureshbhai Patel to the ground as he attempted to question him. Patel, who was visiting Alabama to help his son and wife care for their child, does not speak English and indicated as much while he recited his son’s house number to officers.
Officers were prompted to stop Patel after a 911 call about a suspicious person allegedly looking into residents’ garages. As it turns out, Patel was just on a walk. However, the incident with cops left him partially paralyzed and having to have two of his vertebrae fused together.
Last month the family filed a civil rights complaint against Parker, another officer and the city of Madison, claiming that race played a part in Patel’s treatment. Patel’s family has started a GoFundMe page to raise money to take care of his recovery.
Read more at Reuters.