The US authorities have begun trial proceedings against a young American police officer who slammed down a visiting Indian grandfather in Alabama last February and left him partially paralysed in a case that attracted widespread condemnation, leading to a probe by the Department of Justice.
Eric Parker, the 26-year-old police officer, has been charged with violating the civil rights of 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who was visiting his son in Madison, a suburb of Huntsville in Alabama, and help take care of a grandchild.
A video that captured the officer’s assault of Patel while taking a walk in the neighbourhood of his son’s house had gone viral in Indian and American media outlets, prompting a formal apology from Madison’s Police Chief and suspension of the officer, who was immediately charged with misdemeanour assault.
Parker, if convicted, could face up to as much as 10 years in prison for the assault that followed a call from a resident alleging that “a skinny black man wearing a toboggan” was lurking about, peering into garages. He also faces a separate civil lawsuit.
Patel, who is still to fully recover, arrived at the Huntsville federal courthouse, using a walker and helped by his son, Chirag. “He’s not fully recovered and isn’t expected to fully recover,” commented Patel’s lawyer, Hank Sherrod, adding: “His improvement is very, very slow right now.”
The court was expected to complete later Wednesday the process of selecting the jury from a panel of 55 potential jurors.