Oklahoma AG Drops Assault Charge Against Police Officer

Oklahoma’s attorney general dismissed an assault charge against a police officer who slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, fracturing his neck, during an argument over a traffic ticket. Attorney General Gentner Drummond said that he had dropped the aggravated assault and battery charge against the officer, Sgt. Joseph Gibson of the Oklahoma City Police Department. The charge was filed on Dec. 5, after the department released footage showing Gibson throwing a motorist, Lich Vu, to the ground, the New York Times reports. “As Attorney General, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training,” Drummond said. The episode began at about 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 27 when Gibson responded to the scene of a minor accident involving Vu, said Vicki Zemp Behenna, the Oklahoma County district attorney. In the video, Gibson tells Vu that he is being issued a ticket for making an improper U-turn. Vu protests and the episode escalates swiftly, ending with Gibson performing what the district attorney described as a “take down” of Vu, causing him to hit the pavement head first. Vu was taken to a hospital with injuries that included a neck fracture and a brain bleed.

The footage was posted on the Facebook page of the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma, drawing condemnation from people who objected to the use of force against an older person. After the episode, Gibson was placed on administrative duty . Drummond, said that “it is never acceptable for a member of the public to strike, push, or otherwise make unwanted physical contact with a police officer.” In the video, Vu appears to tap Gibson with the knuckles of his right hand. Mike Hunter, a lawyer for Gibson, said the decision to drop the charges “was well reasoned and correct.” Although the criminal charges have been dismissed, Drummond said “an open and ongoing internal investigation” could lead to “non-criminal forms of accountability” for Gibson. “The Oklahoma City Police Department is conducting a thorough and rigorous investigation to determine whether Sgt. Gibson violated any policies or procedures,” he said.