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An Oklahoma City Police Officer has been placed on routine paid leave after being accused of using excessive force on an elderly Vietnamese American man.
According to News 9, the incident occurred on October 27 and began with a car crashing into the vehicle of 70-year-old Licha Vu. A police report claims that Vu and the other driver confronted each other before officers arrived on the scene.
Police also allege that Vu reached into the other driver’s vehicle and made comments about hitting her, although he never did so. They also claim that Vu refused to sign the ticket he was issued and began arguing with a police officer. The report alleges that Vu hit the officer in the chest and told him to be quiet, prompting the officer to bring him to the ground.
Body camera footage of the incident was released a few weeks later, KOCO reports. It shows Vu lightly hitting the officer’s vest and putting his finger to his mouth in a “shushing” motion.
The officer then takes the elderly man by his wrists and slams him to the ground, yelling, “Get on the ground.”
Vu was hospitalized and is still recovering from the incident.
The Oklahoma City Police released the following statement:
“We understand the concerns this has raised in our community, and we want to assure you this incident is being taken very seriously. An investigation began immediately after the incident occurred and is currently ongoing.”
The Vietnamese American community has expressed their hurt.
“There is some very, very much uncalled for excessive force and, I think, as a community, we are hurt by that,” Thuan Nguyen, president-elect of the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma, told KOCO.
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