Ohio Police Drag Black Paraplegic Man Out Of Car During Traffic Stop, NAACP Investigates [Video]

A video of a Black paraplegic man getting dragged out of his car by Ohio police during a traffic stop last week has sparked an investigation, authorities said.

The body cam video released on Oct. 8 showed Clifford Owensby, 39, repeatedly telling the officers that he could not use his legs when they requested him to come out of the car while he was stopped and arrested in Dayton on Sept.30. In the video, Owensby can be seen crying for help when the officers forcibly removed him from his vehicle by pulling his arm and hair.

Owensby filed a complaint with the Dayton Unit of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the agency said it would be working “hand-in-hand” with his legal counsel, Washington Post reported.

“To pull this man out of the car, by his hair — a paraplegic — is totally unacceptable, inhumane and sets a bad light on our great city of Dayton, Ohio,” NAACP President Derrick L. Foward told The Post.

Owensby, who had a felony drug and weapon history, was stopped by police when they saw him leaving a "suspected drug house." The officers then requested Owensby to step out of his vehicle for a "free-air sniff" during which a K-9 walks around a vehicle to sniff for illegal narcotics. However, Owensby said, "I can't step out of the car, sir. I'm a paraplegic," USA Today reported.

When an officer offered to help him get out of the vehicle, Owensby repeated that he could not get out of the car and threatened to file a lawsuit if they touched him. During the argument, Owensby called someone on his phone and told the person at the other end of the line about his situation. He also asked the person to "bring people with cameras."

“You can cooperate and get out of the car, or I can drag you out of the car. You see your two options here,” an officer told Owensby. When Owensby did not move, the officers grabbed him by the arm, pulled him out of the car, pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him. Owensby is heard saying, "Help, help!" in the footage as police restrained him.

In a statement, the Dayton police said that Owensby was later taken to a hospital, examined and released. Police also said that the K-9 unit found a bag containing $22,450 in cash in Owensby's vehicle and that “the money had been in close proximity to illegal drugs."

After the incident sparked outrage, the Dayton police said they have started an investigation.

"We understand this incident has sparked a lot of emotional reactions here in the community in Dayton, Ohio, and we ask for your patience as we investigate this incident to its fullest," the police said in a statement.

The officers cited Owensby for using window tint and for transporting a 3-year-old child without a car seat. The toddler was in the car at the time of the arrest, police said.