A 71-year-old man with bone cancer was left with a brain hemorrhage and a neck fracture after he was thrown to the ground by an Oklahoma City police officer after the elderly man refused to sign a citation over an improper U-turn last month.
Lich Vu, who is Vietnamese and appears to struggle with the English language, remains hospitalized from his injuries, hooked up to a feeding tube with family members worrying he may end up dying from the altercation with the police officer, who appears much younger and stronger than the victim.
Vu and his wife had just left church and were planning to feed the homeless at a local shelter when they were involved in a minor crash with another car, according to News 9.
Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to a statement from police posted on Facebook along with the body camera video.
The video shows Gibson grabbing Vu by the wrist and spinning him to the ground after the elderly man lightly tapped the cop on his chest with his hand before raising an index finger to his mouth and telling him to “shut up” as the two were arguing over the citation which apparently enraged the cop.
“Get on the ground,” the cop says as he places Vu face-first into the asphalt while handcuffing him.
Security video from a nearby business was also released, showing a broader perspective of the incident, confirming the elderly man was not physically threatening or assaulting the officer but merely tapped the cop on his chest, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.
But the cop used that light tap on his chest to attack him, insinuating that Vu fell on his own after the cop grabbed his arm.
“(Vu) hit me with the back of his right hand on my chest, between my badge and body worn camera … then immediately put an index finger to his mouth telling me to shut up and ‘shh,’” Gibson explained in his police report, according to KOCO-TV who obtained the report.
Gibson also wrote in his report that, “I pulled on Lich’s arm, and he fell to the ground. While Lich was falling, I instructed get on the ground, knowing that Lich was going to the ground. While he was falling, his face was parallel to the ground. Lich’s forehead hit the ground. I observed a laceration and a knot on his forehead. I placed Lich in handcuffs and observed Lich not respond and appeared to be unconscious. It appeared to me that Lich was breathing. I called for Fire, EMSA, and a supervisor over the radio,” according to News 9.
Gibson, who was hired in 2018, makes more than $83,000 a year, according to Open Payrolls.
The Backlash
The incident took place on October 27 after Vu, who was driving with his wife, attempted to make a U-turn at an intersection and collided with another car.
The video of the crash has not been released, but the body camera video shows the cop giving the other driver a citation for an expired tag.
The video shows Lu was confused as to why he was being issued a citation, telling the cop that “she hit me.”
The cop tells him that signing the citation is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment of receiving the citation. Oklahoma law allows officers to arrest citizens for refusing to sign citations, according to an Oklahoma lawyer.
Vu’s daughter, Teresa Vu, posted the following statement on Facebook to express her disappointment over the aggressive arrest.
I’m disappointed and upset with the Oklahoma City Police Department. This is not how you treat someone that is 5’3, 115 lbs with bone cancer after a car accident. Especially if English is their second language. I will never forget this, especially if my dad cannot recover and passes away.
No matter our differences, I love you Dad. I’m sorry this happened to you.
Oklahoma City police released a statement saying the incident would be investigated by the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office, but it would take some time before a decision was made.
The Oklahoma City Police Department is dedicated to transparency and accountability. We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated, and the review process will take time to complete. We ask for your patience as we work to conclude this investigation.
More than 10,000 Vietnamese people live in Oklahoma City, mostly concentrated in the “Little Saigon” neighborhood, where they had moved to as refugees following the Vietnam War in 1975.
“For a police officer to think that a 71-year-old man could actually intentionally hurt him,” said Thuan Nguyen, President-elect of Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma, according to KFOR. “Our Asian community feels an implicit bias.”
Nguyen said the couple had just left church and were planning on feeding the homeless at a local shelter but wanted to go home first to change their clothes. But they never made it to the shelter.
“We’re going to hold our police officers and police department accountable for holding the proper training for their cadets, their officers,” the organization told News 9. “We are their voice. We are out there to help them seek justice for this incident and we’re not going to hold back.”
Vu’s daughter provided the following update to her Facebook page.
He’s conscious now; he can speak and recognize people. Sometimes he gets frustrated because he can’t remember why he’s there or how he got there, which is understandable. He can’t swallow anything properly because of his neck fracture; they have an NG tube to give him continuous feedings and hydrations.
He still has a little bit of bleeding/blood leftover from his brain bleed; he will get surgery on Friday.
We’re still going to fight for justice; this isn’t over yet.
