According to video from Friday's body camera, police in Ohio pulled a paraplegic man from his car and threw it to the ground.
The Dayton Police Department shared this video with NBC News. It shows Clifford Owensby being ordered by two officers to get out of his Audi during a traffic stop last Wednesday.
The video was edited and it is not clear what occurred before or after.
Owensby can clearly be heard telling officers that he is paraplegic. Officers offered to help Owensby out of his car but the motorist refused and was asked why he was stopped.
Owensby stated, "I can't get outside the vehicle sir."
Owensby was told by the officer that he had to get out of his vehicle in order for a dog to smell drugs. However, the motorist objected. The video is clear.
"No, you're no, no, you're never going to touch my face." In the video, he says that he is certain not going to touch him. "Bro, you will face a lawsuit if your hands touch me without any reason."
Owensby appears to then make a call to someone and ask them to film his interactions and conversations with officers.
Owensby requests officers to call their supervisors before they unbuckle Owensby and drag him out of the room by his shoulders.
He shouts out, repeatedly screaming, "Somebody help!"
Officers pressed Owensby to the ground, and one of them put his knee in his back. Owensby continued to plead for help.
He shouted at one point, "Can you all call the real police please?" As he screamed, "Can y'all call the real police please?" One officer threatened to Tase his face.
The officers involved in the incident have not been identified.
Jerome A. Dix, President of Dayton Fraternal Order of Police, stated in a Friday night statement that officers demanded compliance and offered to help Owensby after being told he was paraplegic. The motorist was "continuing to be verbally noncompliant," he stated, escalating officers' response.
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He stated that the officers followed the law and their training as well as department policies and procedures. While it is sometimes not pleasant to have people arrested for non-compliance, it is necessary in law enforcement to preserve public safety, which is one fundamental idea of our society.
Owensby didn't respond to NBC News’s requests for comment on Friday. However, he said to the Dayton Daily News Monday that he felt like "they don't even respect me as a citizen."
He claimed he had suffered scrapes when he was pulled from his vehicle. According to him, a prior back injury had been rehabilitated.
Nan Whaley, Dayton Mayor, stated in a Friday statement that "The video of the police interaction is very concerning for me." Everybody deserves dignity and respect in dealings with Dayton Police, regardless of where they live or how they look.
She stated that the incident is under investigation.
Whaley stated that Dayton is committed to the community-led reform of its police force and maintaining transparency in such situations.
