Police Drag Paraplegic Man Out Of Vehicle By His Hair

A disturbing video has been made public which shows an incident of gross malfeasance by the police involved in the matter.

The video shows a paraplegic man being dragged out of his vehicle by the ends of his hair, sparking the ire of the public and calling into question police violence and the use of unnecessary force.

Clifford Owensby, who is disabled and unable to walk was out doing errands without a wheelchair In the car and usually gets assistance getting in and out of the vehicle.

He further added that the police had stopped him because the windows of his car were too dark.

After telling the police that he was unable to walk, they insisted that he step out of his vehicle.

Owensby had prior convictions for drug and weapon-related charges which prompted the police to investigate the car further. The police said that a dog would need to sniff the vehicle.

As the police demand that he get out of the car, Owensby can be heard saying “I’m paraplegic” several times.

The police offered to help him out of his vehicle but Owensby refused the assistance saying, “No, you’re not. No, you’re not. You’re not going to touch me,”

Owensby asked for a supervisor or someone he knows to come to assist him instead. The police officer can then be heard saying, “I’ll pull you out of the car and then call a white shirt because you’re getting out of the car. That is not an option. So you can cooperate and get out of the car, or I can drag you out of the car.”

“You see your two options here?”

The video then shows the officer using Owensby’s sweatshirt and hair to pull him out of the vehicle and then onto the ground.

Owensby’s legs can be seen dangling throughout the interaction as he screams in pain. He is then placed into a police cruiser.

Dayton Police Chief Matt Carper released a statement that the incident was being investigated.

The City Manager Shelley Dickstein also said, “As in any situation where a city employee’s actions are in question, we commit to completing a thorough review to ensure that we are held accountable to the public,” she said. “It is our goal to not only maintain high standards and expectations now but continuously improve to meet and exceed the future expectations.”

Owensby said that he hoped the investigation would yield concrete results. “I’m hoping for some kind of disciplinary action, and furthermore, I wish that this doesn’t happen to no one else. This is unacceptable. We’re supposed to have officers out here to serve and protect, and when we lose faith in them doing that, who do we turn to?”

While some commenters have been criticising Owensby for not fully complying, there were others that came to his defense. 

The first concern was why the vehicle was being searched without a warrant. 

Others that complained that he denied assistance from the police officer were told that they weren't taking into consideration the training that medical professionals and carers go through to properly assist someone with limited mobility. 

This user also pointed out that Owensby was not and could not have resisted arrest considering his condition.