The family of a disabled man had the shock of their lives when police in Maryland dragged him out of his car after they mistook him for a wanted man. In a video of the incident which has surfaced online, the police officers are seen instructing the disabled man to step out of the car despite his insistence he is paralyzed.
Even though he questioned the police about how feasible it was for him to walk, they insisted he stepped out of the car. During the encounter, the disabled man is seen being forcibly removed from the car by the officer, apparently unaware of his paralysis. It took the man’s wife to clarify that her husband was a paraplegic and unable to walk.
Following his collapse to the ground, the officers were left with no option but to place the man on the roadside. He asked the officers why they had left him on the ground. He had to find a way of helping himself back into his car after his wife retrieved his wheelchair.
Throughout this process, the disabled man kept documenting the incident, while the officer mounted a defense explaining his perspective on how the events unfolded, according to the Daily Mail.
The officer indicated that he was caught in a situation where he was being arrested for a crime he was unaware of but happened to be in the vicinity of the incident. The footage of the encounter has attracted over 660,000 views and received nearly 50,000 reactions, with more than 3,900 comments from viewers.
The footage that outraged many left viewers wondering why they wanted to shift the blame on the disabled man. They prayed he get justice for the inhuman treatment he had to endure at the hands of the cops.
The tipping point for many is a follow-up video where an officer is seen handcuffing the disabled man while he remains in his wheelchair at the roadside.
They criticized the situation as excessive and unnecessary with many online users calling for a swift resolution of the matter. They however commended the man for his patience and cooperation.
