Sureshbhai Patel, 57, who was visiting his family in Alabama from India, was pushed to the ground by a police officer while taking his morning walk after a caller reported a “suspicious” person in the neighborhood.
The caller told police that a man, who he did not recognize, was walking onto driveways and looking into garages, the Madison Police Department said in a statement.
Sureshbhai Patel, who is from a small town in India, was on his second visit to the U.S. and was staying with his son, Chirag. He told AL.com that he had flown his father out so he could help care for his 17-month-old grandson.
Chirag Patel said this father was walking on the sidewalk, "minding his own business," when the police car showed up and asked him to stop. Patel, who does not speak English, told the officer, "No English," "Indian" and gave them his son's house number while pointing to the house, Chirag said.
The officer then pushed him to the ground, after which Patel's body was temporarily paralyzed. He was hospitalized with a spinal injury.
According to Madison police, "the subject did not appear to speak English and there was a communication barrier. The subject began putting his hands in his pockets. Officers attempted to pat the subject down and he attempted to pull away. The subject was forced to the ground, which resulted in injury."
In an emotional interview with AL.com, Chirag said the doctors have told him his father is going to take a long time to recover.
Via videos.al.com
"This is a good neighborhood," Chirag said. "I am devastated that this could happen."
He said his father did not look suspicious and he did not walk on to other people's properties during his regular morning walk.
Chirag, an engineer for a government contractor, had bought a new house in the neighborhood only two months ago.
"It was a dream for me," a visibly emotional Chirag said. "I come from a very poor family and I worked so hard here."
Patel has recovered some movement in his arms and legs, but Chirag said the family is not sure if he will be able to make a complete recovery.
In their statement, the Madison Police Department wished Patel "a speedy and full recovery."
The department also said the officer involved has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Office of Professional Standards.
"The Madison Police Department takes all use of force incidents seriously and reviews them as a matter of policy," the statement said.
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