Oklahoma City police officer under investigation for knocking 70-year-old man to the ground

An Oklahoma City police officer is under investigation and on paid leave after the release of surveillance footage showing him throwing an elderly Vietnamese man to the ground during a traffic stop. The man suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and remains in the hospital after the incident.

The personnel shows the October 27 event, which begins with Officer Joseph Gibson explaining to Leach Wu, 70, that he was being issued a ticket for an improper U-turn.

There appears to be a language barrier between the two as they argue over whether Wu will sign the citation. Wu eventually gets out of the car and the argument continues.

Gibson insists that if Wu does not sign the ticket, he will be sent to prison.

“I’m ready to go to jail,” Wu said.

The two continue to argue, and Wu appears to tell Gibson to “shut up” while tapping the officer on the chest with the back of his fingers.

This prompts Gibson to throw Wu to the ground.

The woman, who earlier in the video identified herself as Wu’s wife, asks Gibson to call 911 as the officer continues to handcuff Wu, who appeared unresponsive.

Wu’s daughter wrote to Instagram that her father was frail and already in poor health before the impact incident—suffering from bone cancer—and that the force of the impact had broken Wu’s neck.

“This is not the way to treat a 5’3, 115 pound person with bone cancer after a car accident,” Teresa Wu wrote on Oct. 28, along with photos showing Wu’s bloodied, bruised, and bruised head.

“Especially if English is their second language,” she added. “I’ll never forget it, especially if my dad doesn’t get better and dies.”

in renewal the daughter said earlier this month that Wu is still in the hospital, on a feeding tube and suffering from memory loss.

“He is now conscious; he can speak and recognize people. Sometimes he gets upset because he can’t remember why he’s there or how he got there, which is understandable. He cannot swallow anything properly because of his broken neck,” she said. wrote on November 6.

“He still has a little bleeding/residual blood from the brain bleed,” she said, adding that he is scheduled for surgery later in the week.

The Oklahoma City Police Department said in a statement that an internal investigation into the incident began “immediately” and that Gibson, a six-year veteran of the service, will be on paid leave pending the conclusion of the investigation.

Speaking from Oklahoma City News 9 Police Chief Ron Basie said Wednesday that there is no timeline for the conclusion of the investigation, but that officers are working quickly to come to a conclusion in the case.

“I think anyone can agree that the video is disturbing and we understand the community’s concern,” he said.

“As police chief, it’s my job to ensure a fair and thorough investigation to ensure due process of law for all parties involved,” Basi said, dismissing concerns that it might be unfair for police officers to investigate one of their colleagues.

“It will be referred and reviewed by the prosecutor’s office, which is completely independent of the police department, and they will make their own assessment of it,” he said.