Bodycam Shows Oklahoma City Officer Slamming Elderly Man To The Ground

Do not call the cops unless you want go to the hospital or die,that is all they know how to do.

Hopefully somebody gets to throw him down and hurt him when he's in his '70s we can only hope.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — On October 27, 2024, an Oklahoma City officer issued, 70-year-old Lich Vu, a ticket after a minor collision, which Vu contested. 

Tensions escalated when Vu allegedly tapped the officer’s chest and told him to "shut up," prompting the officer to bring him to the ground. 

Bodycam footage released by the Oklahoma City Police Department shows the swift takedown, which left Vu unconscious with serious injuries, including a brain bleed and fractured neck. 

Vu's family claims the response was unnecessarily aggressive and has shared images of his injuries online to draw attention to the incident. 

Police report that Vu was uncooperative, but his family disputes the level of force used on an elderly man. The officer is now on administrative leave and the case will be presented to the Oklahoma County DA for review.

Update: December 6, 2024

Hopefully somebody gets to throw him down and hurt him when he's in his '70s we can only hope.

Prosecutors charged an Oklahoma City police officer with felony assault on Thursday after he slammed a 71-year-old man to the ground, breaking his neck, following an argument over a traffic ticket.

Sgt. Joseph Gibson, 28, was charged in Oklahoma County with one count of aggravated assault and battery in connection with the Oct. 27 dispute. Body-worn camera video released by police shows Gibson throwing Lich Vu to the ground after Vu touched Gibson during an argument following a non-injury traffic accident.

"We evaluate the law and the facts in each individual case, and in this particular case determined the officer's actions were an unreasonable use of force," Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Zemp Behenna said in a statement.

Vu suffered a brain bleed, a broken neck and eye socket and remains hospitalized, prosecutors said.

As CBS affiliate KWTV reported, nearby surveillance video, also released by police, revealed graphic views of Vu's head hitting the concrete during the takedown arrest.

In this image made from body-worn camera video provided by the Oklahoma City Police Department, Lich Vu, a 71-year-old man, speaks with an Oklahoma City police officer before he was thrown to the ground and handcuffed in Oklahoma City, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024.  / AP

Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn declined to comment on the charge and referred to a statement the department released in October, indicating Gibson was placed on administrative leave while his actions were being investigated.

"We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated, and the review process will take time to complete," according to the statement, which was also released in Vietnamese.

The use of force prompted outrage in Oklahoma City's Vietnamese community, particularly since the video shows Vu had difficulty communicating with Gibson during the interaction and appeared not to understand what the officer was telling him.

"This is the first step, but we can't replace the hurt. It can't replace the trauma. It can't replace a lot of things they're experiencing," said Thuan Nguyen, president-elect of the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma. "The DA did the right thing in charging him." 

Vu's family said the hospital discharged Vu last week, but he's still experiencing confusion and headaches, KWTV reported. 

"He's not in the state that he was in before the accident," Nguyen said, adding that Vu has been unable to continue cancer treatment due to his injuries. 

Oklahoma City Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Nelson said the organization is sympathetic to Vu and recognizes the severity of his injuries but expressed concern about the impact the charges will have on officers in the field.

"It is very disappointing to see a police officer face felony charges for actions taken in good faith while serving in the line of duty," Nelson said in a statement. "Sgt. Gibson followed his de-escalation training and protocol when assaulted."