Ohio cops dragged a disabled man out of his car, ignoring him telling them he is paraplegic.
The incident took place on September 30, as Clifford Owensby was out running errands, Unilad reports. Ohio police pulled the man over, claiming his darkly tinted windows did not meet the state’s regulations. The cops then demanded the 39-year-old man to exit the car, but he told them he “cannot step out of the car” because he is disabled.
TW: Police violence
Ohio police officers drag a paraplegic Black man out of his car by his arms & hair during a traffic stop.😳
He asks for a supervisor & screams for help, and cops instead pin him down & ridicule him for “making it difficult.” Horrific.pic.twitter.com/UFAps84mfE
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) October 8, 2021
The appalling scene was captured on body camera footage. Ignoring Owensby’s words, a cop can be heard yelling:
“You’re getting out of this car! So, you can cooperate and get out of the car, or I’ll drag you out of the car. Do you see your two options here?!”
As per WHIO, the man was subsequently handcuffed and dragged into a police car.
The distressing video also shows the man asking a passerby to act as a witness and calling a friend telling them to bring cameras to record the unfolding events.
Speaking to News Center 7, Owensby said he cannot walk, and he needs “assistance with getting in and out of the vehicle.” The man added that he requested a “white shirt” to make sure the “stop could be conducted in a decent manner.”
Nevertheless, the officers proceed to drag him from his car as he screams: “Somebody help, I’m a paraplegic!”
"Clifford Owensby said he was out running errands without a wheelchair in the car…Body camera footage WHIO obtained through a public records request shows officers appeared to pull Owensby over for a traffic stop, noting his window tint at 20 percent."https://t.co/FnwCgT7M6k https://t.co/13NBROpCpa
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) October 8, 2021
Following the incident, Owensby commented:
“I just feel like they (were) wrong for doing what they (were) doing and I couldn’t believe what was happening to me.”
Interim Chief Matt Carper assured the conflict is currently being investigated by the department’s Professional Standards Bureau. The inquiry will reportedly include “the officer’s actions and any allegations of misconduct.”
Furthermore, Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein stated that the team will complete “a thorough review to ensure that [they] are held accountable to the public.”
Owensby concluded:
“I feel like they need to train the officers to deal with disabled people in a more efficient manner. Treat them with respect.”
