Vietnamese community demands transparency after police incident involving 71-year-old

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) – On October 27, a 71-year-old man was involved in a traffic accident near the NW 39th Expressway in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City police released body camera footage Friday. The video shows a police officer trying to give the man a report for an illegal U-turn, but not accepting it. This sparked an argument as the man explained why he felt he shouldn't receive a citation.

The video shows the man touching the officer's vest and telling him to “shut up.” The officer then used force to bring the man to the ground.

The man is Vietnamese and this incident caused concern in the local Vietnamese community.

“Overall, we are all very, very sad and saddened by the hurt that has been caused to the family,” said President-elect of the Vietnamese American Community of Oklahoma Thuan Nguyen. “It is very tragic and should not happen to anyone. There are no excuses for anyone to use excessive force against anyone.”

The Oklahoma City Police Department released a statement in both English and Vietnamese that read, in part: “The Oklahoma City Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability. We want our community to know that this case is being thoroughly investigated and the review process will be.” Take your time to complete it.

The Vietnamese community wants action taken after the incident and Nguyen said they have been communicating with OKCPD.

“Transparency is the most important thing. Number two, a change in policy. When Asian Americans are often pulled over when we have a traffic accident or traffic stop, whether we are at fault or not, we are always the last ones to take our statement, the person who can talk to the police officer. So sometimes there are unforeseen implicit biases,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen also noted that they are working on ways to reduce language barriers.

“We need to have voice equipment that allows officers to translate directly and then translate back,” he told FOX 25.

Nguyen said the man is still in the hospital and recovering.

“Being excited is one thing, but using this as something to move forward with our community is another thing,” he said.

According to OKCPD, the incident remains under investigation and will be presented to the Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office soon. The officer is on administrative leave.