A paraplegic man was pulled out of his car by his hair at a traffic stop by an Ohio cop after refusing to 'step out,' despite telling them he was disabled.
Clifford Owensby, 39, who is paraplegic, was pulled over for a traffic violation for his windows being tinted passed state regulations in Dayton, Ohio, near Columbus, by police officers.
After refusing to get out of his car due to his disability, a police officer forcibly pull him out by his hair.
His daughter Cece reported on her Instagram that her father 'has no control of his legs and can't walk.'
Owensby was out running errands without his wheelchair and had to be assisted into the car before leaving. It is unclear where he was headed.
'I just feel like they [were] wrong for doing what they [were] doing and I couldn't believe what was happening to me,' he told WHIO on Monday.
'I feel like they need to train the officers to deal with disabled people in a more efficient manner,' he said. 'Treat them with respect.'
'I feel like they don’t even respect me as a citizen,' he told the Dayton Daily News.
He told officers he was out running errands and had to be assisted into the car to begin with
He informed police he was paraplegic and couldn't get out of the car. The officer offered assistance several times, but Owensby refused and threatened to sue if they touched him. His daughter Cece confirmed on her Instagram that her father 'has no control of his legs and can't walk'
Owensby was asked to step out of the car so police dogs could smell for drugs or weapons due to his prior convictions
The video footage newly released by the Dayton Police Department shows the unidentified officer asking Owensby to undo his seat and get out of the vehicle on September 30.
Owensby replied: 'I can't step out of the car, sir. I'm a paraplegic. I got help getting in.'
The officer offered the man, whose legs are paralyzed, assistance getting out of the car several times, but Owensby refused.
'Well, I don't think that's going to happen, sir,' he told the officer calmly.
The officer responded: 'Well, I do. I'm [not] asking you, but I'm telling you.'
The officer explained that Owensby had to exit the car to let police dogs smell around the car due to his prior drug and weapons convictions.
The officer became frustrated and began waving his hand at Owensby while saying: 'You're getting out of this car, that's not an option. You're getting out of this car. So you can cooperate and get of this car or I will drag you out of this car. Do you see your two options here?'
The officer and his coworker proceeded to drag Owensby's upper body out of hair by his armpits before grabbing ahold of his hair and yanking him out
Owensby still refused to get out of the car, telling the officer: 'No you're not, no you're not, you're not going to touch me.' He also threatened to sue the officer if he put his hands on him.
Owensby proceeded to call someone on the phone, asking them to come to the intersection of Ferguson and Grand Avenue in Dayton to help him and to 'bring people with cameras.'
He then told the officer to 'call your white shirt, please.'
At this moment, the officer's tone turns aggressive as he waves his hand at Owensby, saying: 'I'm going to pull you out and then I'm going to call a white shirt.
'You're getting out of this car, that's not an option. You're getting out of this car. So you can cooperate and get of this car or I will drag you out of this car. Do you see your two options here?'
Owensby told them he was in pain and saying: 'I'm paraplegic, bro, this could hurt me. What are y'all doing bro?'
He seemed to fight back with the police by pulling his arm closer to him, but police managed to get him out of the vehicle. They then proceeded to handcuff him and drag him to the police car, his limp legs dragging behind him
When Owensby asked for the superior again, the officer reached out and grabs the disabled man's arm, pulling him while saying 'get out of the car' repeatedly.
Owensby continues to tell officers of his conditions, stating: 'I'm paraplegic, bro, this could hurt me. What are y'all doing bro?' He appears to struggle against police, pulling his arm back toward himself.
Another officer jumps in to help, first helping to pull Owensby by the armpit until his upper body was outside the car, then the first officer grabbed his hair.
The bodycam footage shows the officer pulling the rest of Owensby's body out of the car by the fistful, Owensby's paralyzed legs dragging behind him.
He exclaims in pain before screaming for 'somebody to help.'
The video shows the officer wrestling Owensby's body while he screams 'I'm a paraplegic.'
The officer yells at me to 'stop' several times.
The traffic stop occurred on Grand Avenue. He was pulled over due to his car's window tint being past state regulations
Owensby, who is lying on his stomach, is picked up by his wrists, forcing his arms straight back as the two officers pick him up and handcuff him.
The officer exclaiming: 'You're making this so much harder than it has to be.'
The officers proceed to drag him to the back of the cop car, his knees, shins, and feet dragging across the ground limply without any shoes.
The video ends with an officer throwing a lone shoe into Owensby car.
An investigation has been launched, but it is unclear if the officers are on leave or not.
However, the Dayton Police Interim Chief Matt Carper said there is 'upcoming training' for officers to help with 'diversity, equity and inclusion, de-escalation, bias-free policing, and procedural justice.'
He also said: 'We need to do better, and this can be done by further developing the mutual respect and accountability necessary to make our City safe.'
According to his daughter Cece's Instagram, she is planning a peaceful protest at 3.30pm today outside the Dayton courthouse.
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