I'm just exploring this story, so I don't know all of the details, but this sounds bad and racially motivated. All highlights and () comments are mine. It seems as if this man has anger issues, particularly toward people with dark skin.

Here's what we know about the former Madison police officer charged with putting Indian grandfather in the hospital

On Thursday, it was publicly revealed that Officer Eric Sloan Parker would not only be fired from the Madison Police Department for use of force against an Indian grandfather, but is also facing third-degree assault charges for slamming the man to the ground. (GREAT!)

Parker's friends and supporters took to social media following the arrest and accompanying dashboard camera video of him taking 57-year-old Sureshbhai Patel to the ground. The case has sparked international interest. Patel and his family have been more concerned with his recovery, as he underwent spinal surgery and remains partially paralyzed in Huntsville Hospital.

Parker's charge is a Class A misdemeanor, which rates up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $6,000. Parker, 26, turned himself into the Limestone County Jail on Thursday and was released on a $1,000 bond. He has a court appearance on March 12. Alabama says a person commits third-degree assault if he or she "recklessly causes physical injury to another person."

Parker's former employers have said they cannot speak about him because of the ongoing investigation and pending litigation against the city. Patel's attorney, Hank Sherrod, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday.

Parker, reached by phone by AL.com, declined to comment on Friday. Plenty of people have offered insights, both positive and negative, on his behalf since then. Those outraged were equally as strong in online statements as his friends.

One of those commenters was Brian Day, who said he has been a close friend since childhood. In his Facebook comment he says, "We played ball together all of our lives, and I never saw anything this aggressive in nature out of him. Eric is a good dude, and I've never seen him treat anyone with any disrespect. He may have made a mistake here, but we all do from time to time. Let's take time to recognize our own faults and failures before we judge others." (Well hell yeah! Because my mistakes have put people in the hospital paralyzed while I was in a position of authority Where is all your judge others bullshit when it's a Muslim who goes ape shyte? )

Another friend of his, Anthony Bowling, reached out to AL.com. Bowling said their friendship through Brewer High School and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, has made them as close as "brothers." He said they were roommates from 2012 to 2014.

Bowling, who said he spoke to Parker early on Friday, did not speak about the case itself. But Bowling offered his feelings on Parker as a dedicated officer who only wanted to help people.

"One hundred percent he went in for the right reasons," he said.
(Good intentions and all that...)
He said the almost two years Parker spent on the force were what he always wanted to do. He said friends felt Parker was overqualified with his political science degree, but Parker was enthusiastic to take his entrance exams and was all too anxious for their results.

Bowling described Parker as an overachiever who always put others first. He described him as the type of officer more likely to give a speeder a warning than a ticket. (Bet it's ONLY whites)He said Parker was the first to offer help both on the force and off.

"The last thing he is is a bully," he said, calling Parker "one of the good guys."

Others in the Madison community expressed an opposing view, saying they've seen hints of an aggressive side. During a Thursday night prayer service for Patel at the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama in Harvest Thursday night, they said they recognize Patel's attack as the work of Parker personally rather than a reflection of the entire police force.

One man, Denny Patel - no relation - said Parker has shown impatience and mild aggression toward people in Patel's Madison businesses, including employees.

"It's not this one incident. It's lots of them," he said.
(I'm sure this will be eye-opening when a trial starts)

Others there said Parker's actions were not reflective of how Madison police typically behave. Several said more attention needs to be paid to what led to this. Others expressed desire for more cultural sensitivity training for police.

"It is not all police we are blaming, but that Eric Parker, he has a problem and somebody has to dig his file. Who hired him and his background," Patel said.

This is not the first time Parker's name has appeared in the news. He was temporarily put on administrative leave after firing his weapon at an alleged robber while off duty last summer.

Parker was with some friends outside Bumpers Billiards on University Drive on Aug. 27, 2014 when he said an armed man tried to rob them. He fired two shots at the man but missed. Huntsville police declared Parker the victim in the incident, and the Madison Police Department soon cleared him for duty.

Huntsville police said the robber was never caught.

Parker has received several commendations through the Madison Police Department and has been described by the department as an "outstanding" officer. He's received two Meritorious Awards during his time. One was for attempting to save a 5-month-old through CPR, something Bowling said left a deep impact on him. He got another for helping an elderly man get out of a smoke-filled house during a garage fire.

Bowling said Parker was also recognized for being one of the officers who helped discover a large synthetic marijuana bust during a traffic stop last February.

Bowling said Parker's time as a police officer was the "happiest time of his life." He doesn't know what "bad circumstances" happened that day that led to the altercation with Patel, but he said his friend's life is changed forever. (By his own choice. The VICTIMs life changed forever too)

"That's what breaks my heart so much. I'm so sorry all that happened," said Bowling.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index ... the_f.html

Hopefully, the tide is turning away from always just accepting a cop's "version" of what happened and why ~ ~ Sooz

Federal grand jury indicts Alabama cop who paralyzed Indian man with body-slam
Reuters / 27 Mar 2015 at 13:58 ET

A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted an Alabama police officer captured on video throwing an Indian man to the ground on a charge related to the use of unreasonable force, federal prosecutors said on Friday.

Eric Parker, 26, then an officer with the Madison Police Department, was seen on video recorded from inside a patrol vehicle on Feb. 6 throwing Sureshbhai Patel to the ground after attempting to question him.

Patel has said he was left partially paralyzed by the officer’s actions. His lawyer says Patel speaks no English and moved to northern Alabama from India about two weeks before the incident to help his son’s family care for a young child.

Patel last month filed a civil rights complaint against Parker, another officer and the city of Madison, alleging that race played a role in the incident.

The Madison Police Department said it has recommended Parker’s termination, which is currently under appeal.

The grand jury indicted Parker late on Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Kaminsky in New Orleans; Editing by Will Dunham)

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2015/03/federal-grand-jury-indicts-alabama-cop-who-paralyzed-indian-man-with-body-slam/

There seems to be something emerging here. Many of these rogue types are described as "overachievers".