By Eric W. Dolan Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 -- 7:21 pm
An Alabama police officer allegedly hospitalized an elderly man who called 911 to report an accident across the street from his house while his wife watched the entire beating from her wheelchair.
The Courthouse News Service reported that 84-year-old Dorsey Henderson of Fairhope, Alabama called 911 after investigating the car accident and discovering that the driver of the vehicle was severely intoxicated.
Henderson told the driver of the car he was under citizens arrest and needed to wait near his car until police arrived.
When Officer Trent Scott arrived on the scene, Henderson attempted to inform him of the driver's belligerent behavior and that the driver had been placed under citizens arrest. The officer allegedly told Henderson there was "no such thing as citizen's arrest in Alabama," and to "get out of the way, old man."
After Henderson tried to explain that he was only trying to help, Officer Scott placed him in an arm bar and slammed him face first into the ground, breaking his nose and eyeglasses. Henderson's wife, Dorris, watched from a wheelchair at the front window of her house, telling a 911 dispatcher that the officer was "beating the hell out of my husband."
At no point did Scott place Henderson under arrest or charge him with any crime, but kept Henderson handcuffed in the backseat of his police cruiser.
Roughly ten minutes later, Scott sent an ambulance that had arrived away, telling the paramedics that the elderly man "doesn't need an ambulance."
A superior office who later arrived on the scene ordered the ambulance to return and Henderson was taken to the hospital, where he doctors said he suffered a broken nose, multiple contusions and a torn rotator cuff.
As of May 16, 2011, Scott was still employed by the Fairhope Police Department.
View the complaint here [PDF]
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