It may have been just as well that an Alabama judge declared a mistrial in the brutal police assault of Sureshbhai Patel, a visiting Indian, who was left partially paralysed after an officer slammed him to the ground near his son’s home in Madison last February.
In what now turns out to be a disturbing finding, the 12-member jury that failed to reach a unanimous verdict in the case was split along gender and racial lines on the culpability of the white police officer, Eric Parker.
Save for two black female jurors, who believed that Parker was guilty of the federal civil rights charge, all the 10 male jurors, none of whom was black, actually wanted to acquit the police officer. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Citing one of the two female jurors, Al.com reported on Wednesday that “it was 10 to 2”, with the 10 male jurors favouring Parker’s acquittal, while the two women opposing it.
The holdout juror, who had retired from the US Army, told the online news
portal that she did not believe Parker’s testimony in a couple of instances, such as when he said he lost his balance and fell on top on Patel, adding: “He lied a couple of times.”
When the jury failed to arrive at a unanimous opinion, despite four attempts, US District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala declared a mistrial last Friday.
Alabama authorities have said that they will hold a fresh trial in the case by choosing a new jury. The 58-year-old Patel, who had come to the US from Gujarat just days earlier in order to take care of his grandson, was taking a walk near his son’s home when a neighbour became suspicious about him and called the police.
The subsequent assault by Parker, who had come along with another officer to the scene, came to be vividly captured by the police dashboard camera. The video shots that went viral on the Internet led to Parker’s suspension, an apology by Alabama’s Governor to the Indian government, and institution of a civil rights probe against the officer.