OKC police release footage of a use of force incident involving an elderly man

by Junna Base November 10, 2024

An Oklahoma City Police Department officer is on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation into a use-of-force incident involving a 70-year-old man continues.

The department has released body camera footage of an interaction between the officer and Lich Vu on Oct. 27 following a vehicle collision near NW 39 and Meridian Avenue.

The officer appears to have thrown Vu to the ground during an argument in which Vu refused to sign a ticket for an alleged illegal U-turn. Vu was hospitalized after the incident.

After the collision, police said, Vu allegedly tried to reach into the other driver’s car and talked about hitting her. According to the police, there was no contact.

The body camera footage begins with Vu sitting in the driver’s seat of his car, the door open, and the officer explaining why he is issuing the ticket for an illegal U-turn.

“I didn’t do that,” Vu said.

A few moments later he got out of the car.

As the argument continues, the officer can be heard telling Vu that he would go to jail if he didn’t sign the ticket.

“I’m ready to go to prison,” Vu said.

“Are you ready to go to prison?” the officer said. “Ridiculous. OK. This includes confiscating your car.”

The officer then spoke briefly with the other driver involved in the collision. He issued the driver a ticket.

When the officer returned to speak with Vu, the argument over Vu’s ticket continued.

Vu appears to punch the officer in the chest.

“Shut up,” Vu said.

The officer appears to grab Vu’s arm before throwing him to the ground and handcuffing him. After a call to paramedics, the handcuffs were removed, police said.

KWTV-9 reported that Vu’s daughter said that Vu had surgery to repair a brain bleed and that he had a broken neck that caused him to need a feeding tube to eat.

Police said in a statement that the incident was still under investigation and would be presented to the district attorney’s office.

“The Oklahoma City Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability,” the department said. “We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated and the review process will take time. We ask for your patience as we work to complete this investigation.”

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