Judge Declares Mistrial in Civil Rights Case
A judge has declared a mistrial in the case of an Alabama police officer charged with violating an Indian man’s civil rights and using unreasonable force as he slammed him to the ground.
U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Haikala declared a mistrial Friday in the trial of Madison police officer Eric Parker after jurors said three different times that they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
Parker slammed 58-year-old Sureshbhai Patel down face first during a suspicious person investigation. Police tried questioning Patel but the man said he doesn’t speak English. Parker has said he took Patel to the ground because he was resisting officers and reached toward his pockets.
Patel denied that through an interpreter.
Parker took the stand in his own defense and said he lost his balance while he was trying to take Patel to the ground and didn’t mean to hurt him.
