Extremely violent technique used against Sureshbhai Patel: American police officer

WASHINGTON: A former American police officer used an "extremely violent technique" against an Indian grandfather that left him partially paralysed early this year, a key police training official has told a US federal jury.

Testifying before a federal grand jury in Huntsville, Kenny Sanders, a sheriff's department captain who oversees the state's police training curriculum, said the conduct of former police officer Eric Parker "was not consistent with prevailing police standards" against 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel, who is now recovering from the assault.

While on a walk, Parker stopped Patel, who did not knew English. When Patel did not respond, Parker hit him so hard on the ground that he was left partially paralysed.

The retrial of Parker, charged with violating Patel's civil rights following an encounter in a Madison neighbourhood off County Line Road on February 6, began this week. The jury has 14 members, of which 11 are women and three men.

Patel, who was visiting his son in Alabama to meet his newly born grandson, was slammed to ground and left paralysed in 101 seconds after encountering the police despite him pleading as many as five times that he knows no English, federal prosecutors have said.