Oklahoma AG Steps Up To Ensure Cop Who Broke 71-Year-Old Man’s Neck Won’t Face Criminal Charges

Legal Issues

from the when-not-even-a-wrist-slap-is-considered-acceptable dept

On October 27, 2024, Oklahoma City police officer Joseph Gibson violently assaulted a 71-year-old Vietnamese man while investigating [checks notes] a “non-injury traffic accident.”

The man, Lich Vu, was definitely much smaller than the cop that assaulted him. He was very definitely much older. A discussion about who was at fault occurred, hampered by Vu’s limited English skills. Vu’s wife came out of where she was working and attempted to help translate, but Officer Gibson chose to escalate past his limited Vietnamese language skills, with the final result of the “interaction” being this:

Prosecutors said Vu suffered a brain bleed and a broken neck and eye socket.

The body camera footage doesn’t help much. It mainly shows Gibson being aggressive and throwing Vu to the ground. What it doesn’t capture with any clarity is the supposed “assault” the 71-year-old man committed that apparently provoked this violent response.

But a nearby security camera operated by a local business captured the whole thing. And, thanks to that footage, we can see for ourselves the alleged violent act that led to Officer Gibson’s violent act:

What the recording shows is something that might have seemed offensive to a US police officer (the ones that believe the only acceptable response to an officer’s questions/demands is complete deference) but what probably seemed acceptable to a man who felt the cop wasn’t paying attention to his explanation. The only physical contact here was a mild backhand to the officer’s upper arm/chest — a tap meant to interrupt or redirect the conversation. It certainly wasn’t an attack on the officer. It was something that might have shocked a very small child, but certainly shouldn’t have bothered an officer clad in body armor and carrying a small arsenal of lethal and less-than-lethal weapons.

This over-response definitely looked like assault. And even if it might have been tough to prove it was lawless when a cop does it, local prosecutors were going to at least take a run at it.

Oklahoma City DA Vicki Behenna charged Gibson with aggravated assault and battery after the surveillance camera footage made its way into the public domain. But that has all disappeared, thanks to the unwanted and uncalled-for intervention of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond.

“As attorney general, I will not permit Oklahoma police officers to face criminal prosecution for conduct adhering to their training,” Drummond said in a statement. “While the outcome of this incident is unquestionably devastating for Mr. Vu and his family, I do not believe the officer exhibited criminal intent.”

Well, define “criminal intent” then, AG Drummond. Because it sure looks like Officer Gibson meant to inflict as much pain as possible, despite nothing occurring that demanded this much force to be deployed. Is it a criminal act to respond to a small amount of disrespect with a body slam that breaks someone’s neck? Is it a criminal act to express your irritation with physical violence against another person?

For all of us regular people, it is. It may not be “criminal intent,” but the act itself is usually considered a violation of law. At best, it’s simple assault, rather than aggravated assault. But it appears AG Drummond believes cops should be held to a lower standard.

Not only that, but his statement demonstrates he’s a cop shop lapdog. Anyone who views the recording can see the officer’s acts weren’t justified. More so, they can see what Vu did isn’t even remotely comparable to the phrases the Attorney General uses to justify taking this case out the local prosecutor’s hands.

“No individual is allowed to hit or push an officer, regardless of whether he or she doesn’t understand English well or comes from a different culture,” Drummond said. “The simple truth is, this unfortunate incident never would have occurred if Mr. Vu had kept his hands to himself.”

This wasn’t a “hit” or a “push.” It was a small tap of the officer’s chest/shoulder by someone apparently just as frustrated by the language barrier as Officer Gibson. Blaming the victim for their own incapacitation is just par for the law enforcement course, though. And AG Drummond — despite his recent anti-death penalty advocacy — is proving he just one of the boys (in blue).

Filed Under: excessive force, gentner drummond, joseph gibson, lich vu, oklahoma, police misconduct, police violence