An Alabama police officer returned to federal court on Wednesday as a jury weighed for a second time whether he violated an Indian man’s rights by throwing him to the ground and causing serious injuries in an incident recorded on video.



Eric Parker is being retried on accusations that he used unreasonable force while working as a Madison, Alabama, police officer during the February incident.

A jury in Huntsville, Alabama, deadlocked last month on whether to convict or acquit Parker, 27, of a single charge of depriving the Indian grandfather of his civil rights, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.

The case centers on the officer’s treatment of Sureshbhai Patel, then 57, who had recently come to the US and spoke no English when he was stopped outside his son’s home during a morning walk by police responding to a suspicious person call.

During the encounter, Parker abruptly flipped Patel on to the ground. Patel suffered extensive injuries from which he is not expected to fully recover, his lawyer has said.

The case drew international attention at a time of increased scrutiny of the use of force by US police officers, particularly against minorities.

Patel, who testified during the first trial, took the stand on Wednesday.

Patel testified through an interpreter that he doesn’t speak English and didn’t know what officers were telling him when they stopped him in a neighborhood in suburban Huntsville in February.

Jurors watched police video that shows an officer throwing Patel to the ground. The man suffered a spinal injury and used a walker to enter the courtroom.

Parker also testified during the initial trial. Parker’s lawyer claims Patel repeatedly walked away from the officers during the encounter, but Patel denied doing so.

Madison police released video of the encounter, which had been recorded from inside a patrol vehicle, and apologized for Parker’s actions. The department recommended terminating the officer, which Parker challenged.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.