text: Sureshbhai Patel, 57, had recently arrived to the United States to help his son and daughter-in-law care for their 17-month-old child.Less than a week later, Patel was approached by the Madison Police Department in response to a suspicious person call. Sureshbhai, who does not speak English, struggled to communicate with the police. In an attempt to search him, Patel was forced to the ground by an officer and severly injured (left partially paralyzed).Patel underwent surgery the next day at Huntsville Hospital where doctors performed a cervical fusion. Sureshbhai faces a long recovery and is only beginning to regain feeling in his arms and one leg.The family has hired a local attorney to sue the Madison Police Department.(Aakash) - I'm a member of the Indian community supporting this cause. I've spoken directly with Hank Sherrod (family attorney) and Chirag Patel (the son of Sureshbhai) to get approval for starting this Go Fund Me. All donation withdrawals from the Go Fund Me will be managed by the family of Sureshbhai -- I can not personally authorize or request any withdrawals from this campaign.Please reach out directly if you have any questions, thank you for your support.Video:Link to Articles: ||||| Madison police officer Eric Parker today turned himself in to face assault charges, following the severe injuries to an Indian citizen who was walking down the street outside his son's new home. 
   
   Chief Larry Muncey told a small press conference in Madison that he also recommended that Parker be fired for his use of force against a man who committed no crime, did not speak English and could not understand the commands. 
   
   Muncey said "I found that Officer Eric Parker's actions did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department." 
   
   Five members of the local Indian community sat in the front row, along with Indian Consul Anil Kumar, to watch the video from the patrol cars and listen to the non-emergency call that led to the violent confrontation. 
   
   Call to police about Indian grandfather in Madison 
   
   The caller early Friday morning reports an individual walking on the street near his home. "He was doing it yesterday and today...He's just on foot. He's just kind of walking around close to the garage." 
   
   The operator asks what the man looks like. "He's a skinny black guy, he's got a toboggan on, he's really skinny." 
   
   He adds: "I've lived here four years and I've never seen him before." 
   
   Sureshbhai Patel had only arrived in the United States about a week earlier to help care for his grandson. Patel took a walk each morning, according to his son, Chirag Patel, an engineer who recently bought a home in Madison. 
   
   The caller says: "I'm just kind of following from a distance now." He says he is about to go to work and is nervous to leave his wife with the man walking around outside. 
   
   The dashboard camera shows two officers, field trainer Parker and his trainee Andrew Slaughter, approach the man just after 8 a.m. on Friday. The man stops and turns and steps toward them. The audio offers a clips of the interaction, mainly just what the officers say. 
   
   "What's going on sir?" 
   
   "You what?" 
   
   "India." 
   
   "Where you heading?" 
   
   "Where?" 
   
   "I can't understand you, sir." 
   
   "Where's your address?" 
   
   "Do you have any ID?" 
   
   "India?" 
   
   "Do you live here." 
   
   "Sir, sir, come here." 
   
   "Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?" 
   
   Eventually, the two officers turn Patel around and have his hands behind his back. At one point, as another patrol car pulls up, Parker yanks his arm and slams him into the ground. Patel can not put out his hands to break his fall. He would require cervical fusion and remains in Huntsville Hospital with limited mobility in his limbs. His son as of Tuesday said his father could not move one leg at all. 
   
   The video continues, with officers trying to get the man to stand. One officer begins picking dirt and debris off of him. The concern slowly becomes evident in their voices. 
   
   "He don't speak a lick of English." 
   
   "I tried to pat him down but he tried to walk away from me." 
   
   "I don't know what his problem is but he won't listen." 
   
   "He was trying to walk away." 
   
   "Did you bite your lip?" 
   
   "He OK?" 
   
   Parker turned himself in to Limestone County today, said Chief Muncey. He will face charges of assault third degree. Muncey apologized to Patel, his family and all of Madison. "Our desire is to exceed everyone's expectations." 
   
   Parker was released on a $1,000 bond. 
   
   Muncey said the FBI is conducting a "parallel inquiry to ascertain if there were any federal violations." 
   
   Attorney Hank Sherrod filed suit today in federal court, arguing police used excessive force and that they had no cause to stop Patel on a public sidewalk and search him. 
   
   Sherrod welcomed the news of the dismissal of this officer, as he called for exactly that on Tuesday. But Sherrod said Madison should never have released a statement suggesting that Patel had been looking into garages or was in any way responsible for the incident. 
   
   [Click here for the initial story with details on Sureshbhai Patel, his family and his injuries] 
   
   "They didn't do that on Monday," said Sherrod. "On Monday they were trying to blame Mr. Patel. On Monday they were minimizing this. I'm glad they apparently are starting to do the right thing. But why weren't they doing this on Monday? With those videos." 
   
   Members of the local Hindu community, who asked not to be named, said after the press conference that they are known for non-violence. "We don't hurt nobody, that is our principle...we don't hurt the snake." ||||| Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
   
   MADISON, Ala. (WHNT) - Madison Police Chief Larry Muncey says he has recommended one of his officers be terminated after an incident last week that left a 57-year-old Indian man severely injured. The officer has also been charged with third-degree assault. 
   
   Chief Muncey spoke at a news conference Thursday afternoon, discussing the department's use of force investigation into the incident. Police showed video and audio of the officers' encounter with the man. Afterward, Chief Muncey said the actions of Officer Eric Parker did not meet the standards of the Madison Police Department. 
   
   "I sincerely apologize to Mr. Patel, Mr. Patel's family and our community. We strive to exceed expectations," said Chief Muncey. He said he has proposed Officer Parker be terminated, and he has also been arrested for third-degree assault. Parker turned himself in on the charge. 
   
   Chief Muncey said Officer Parker turned himself in to the Limestone County Sheriff's Office on the assault charge. 
   
   The FBI will also conduct a civil rights inquiry, and will turn over its findings to the U.S. Department of Justice to determine if further actions will be taken. 
   
   Parker has been in the news before. WHNT News 19 confirmed he was the victim of an attempted robbery back in August. Officials say Parker was off duty. When Madison Police released information about Parker after the incident, they noted he won two meritorious awards for his work in less than two years on the force. 
   
   The incident took place the morning of Friday, February 6. A neighbor called police about a suspicious man walking in the neighborhood and dispatchers sent two officers there. Click here to listen to the call. 
   
   Dashcam video shows officers arrived at 8:18 a.m. 
   
   Two officers, one of them Parker, spot Patel on the sidewalk. They get out of the patrol car and walk up to him. In the audio, the officers ask Patel for ID, then ask his name. "Do you live here?" the officers ask. "What's your address?" and Patel points at something. The language barrier becomes apparent, because Patel does not speak English. The officers then ask Patel not to jerk away. An officer repeats that, and soon afterward, Patel is thrown down. 
   
   Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
   
   Please enable Javascript to watch this video 
   
   Members of the local Indian community also attended Thursday's news conference to show their support for Patel. The group included Indian Consul Anil Kumar, who flew in from Atlanta solely to meet with Patel. He pushed his flight back on Thursday to attend the presser. After watching the video, all of them told WHNT News 19 that they are peaceful people and the treatment of Patel was unjust. 
   
   Previous reports 
   
   Earlier this week, WHNT News 19 spoke with the family of the Indian man injured, Sureshbhai Patel. The 57-year-old man does not speak English and has been hospitalized since February 6, when he was out for a walk in his son's neighborhood off County Line Road. 
   
   Offers of help have poured in from as far away as California. Many in north Alabama have also expressed a desire to help. Supporters have set up a gofundme account to help the Patel family with their mounting medical bills. Patel has no insurance. 
   
   Mr. Patel had arrived just six days earlier from India, to help his son and daughter-in-law with childcare. Madison Police, investigating a call about a suspicious person, stopped the 57-year-old as he walked down the family's street. Police admit there was a language barrier and Patel was forced to the ground, suffering injury. 
   
   The family says he was taken to Madison Hospital, with no feeling in his arms or legs. Doctors performed neck surgery the next day. According to the family, he has since regained some feeling in his limbs but remains partially paralyzed. They say doctors expect a long road to recovery. The Patel family filed a lawsuit Feb. 12 against the City of Madison and the Madison Police Department. 
   
   Organizers of the gofundme account have set a goal of $25,000. As of Thursday afternoon, they had raised more than $13,000. 
   
   Related: AshaKiran, local cultural group, discusses holding training workshops with Madison Police to improve communication barrier
target: – The Alabama police officer who partially paralyzed an Indian man out for a walk has been arrested and will likely be fired. The Madison police chief says he's recommended Eric Parker be fired because his use of force against someone who was unarmed, had committed no crime, and does not speak English "did not meet the high standards and expectations of the Madison City Police Department." Parker turned himself in yesterday and will face assault charges, AL.com reports. Police have released audio and video related to Sureshbhai Patel's encounter with police, including video showing Patel being thrown to the ground and audio of the initial call to police from a neighbor of Patel's son, who says, "I've lived here four years and I've never seen him before." (Patel had arrived the week prior to assist with caring for his 17-month-old grandchild.) Parker was actually a field trainer for the police department and had his trainee with him at the time of the confrontation. Audio reveals snippets of their conversation with Patel and highlights the communication barrier: When asked for his address, the 57-year-old just points, WHNT reports. At one point, an officer says, "Do not jerk away from me again, or I will put you on the ground. Do you understand?" As another patrol car pulls up and the officers have Patel turned around with his hands behind his back, Parker slams him forcefully to the ground; because of Patel's arm placement, he could not break his fall. As officers try unsuccessfully to get him to stand back up, their conversation reveals their awareness that "he don't speak a lick of English." The FBI is also investigating to see if federal laws were violated. A GoFundMe campaign for Patel has raised nearly $37,000 so far; the family says he remains partially paralyzed.