Authorities are reportedly reviewing body cam footage that shows two Dayton, Ohio police officers dragging a paraplegic Black man out of a car he was operating. The graphic incident took place on September 30 and began with a traffic stop.
According to Revolt, Clifford Owensby turned over his information to the officers, which led them to past records of drug use. At that point, officers ordered him out of the car. Clifford refused stating his inability to walk due to being paraplegic. If you didn’t know, being paraplegic means you’ve lost muscle function in your lower body, including both legs.
One officer then offers to help him out of the vehicle. Clifford immediately disagrees with the idea saying “no you’re not” and “you don’t touch me,” while asking for the officers’ supervisor.
Based on his tone in the video, the same officer seemingly becomes upset. He threatens to drag Clifford out of the car.
“Here’s the thing, I’m going to pull you out and then I’ll call a white shirt,” the officer responded. “Because you’re getting out of the car. That’s not an option. You’re getting out this car, so you can cooperate and get out of the car or I will drag you out of the car. Do you see your two options here?”
Shortly afterwards, two officers forcefully yank Clifford out of the car by his arms and locs.
“What are y’all doing,” Clifford asks in obvious distress. “I’m a paraplegic bro, you can hurt me.”
Officers drag Clifford from the car and throw him to the ground. Two officers attempt to handcuff him while he yells for help. Once handcuffed, he’s again dragged to the police vehicle.
One of Clifford’s sneakers appear to be missing. In the video, another officer throws a sneaker at the car Clifford drove. His pants were also lowered to his ankles.
Like he warned police, Clifford did allegedly suffer injuries from the interaction, including scrapes and re-injuring his back. During handcuffing, an officer pressed his knee into Clifford’s lower back, per body cam footage.
Dayton Police now say the traffic stop is part of a drug investigation and they’re working with the Professional Standards Bureau.
“We ask the public to please be patient while all of the facts are gathered so we may have a clear understanding of what occurred and why in order to make informed decisions and continue to improve services,” Dayton Police said in a statement.
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