Washington: A federal grand jury has indicted the Alabama police office who violently threw to the ground an Indian grandfather visiting his son in the town of Madison, saying he used “unreasonable force“ while acting in uniform. The victim, Sureshbhai Patel (57), was partially paralyzed and had to spend several weeks in hospital, and has only now resumed walking with the aid of a walker.
The one-count indictment filed in the US district court charges that Eric Sloan Parker (26), while acting in his official capacity as a police officer on February 6, injured Patel by slamming him to the ground. Parker's actions deprived Patel of his right under the US constitution to be secure from unreasonable seizures, which includes the right to be free from unreasonable force by someone acting under colour of law, according to the indictment.
The indictment carries a penalty of 10 years in prison if proved in a court of law. Parker's attorney said he expects his client, who has been fired from the Madison police force, to plead not guilty.
