IMPD's Zero Tolerance Policy On Excessive Force Use Faces Another Test

IMPD Officer Nhat Nguyen is facing charges that he unnecessarily choked a man while he was handcuffed after being called to investigate a reported domestic dispute. Amber Montgomery told WTHR's Steve Jefferson that Nguyen handcuffed her boyfried, Jimmie Bailey, on her front porch because he refused to return car keys taken from her that she wanted him to return to her so she could leave with her son. Montgomery claims Officer Nguyen began choking her boyfriend when he asked why he had been handcuffed.  Other police officers had to pull Nguyen off of  Bailey. "The situation got 'to the point where other officers arriving on the scene had to pull the officer off of him,'" said Lt. Jeff Duhamell IMPD."

IMPD recently fired a decorated police officer, Jerry Piland, after the department claimed he had used excessive force in arresting a 15-year-old boy, Brandon Johnson, who had interfered with the arrest of his brother and had resisted his own arrest by police officers. Nguyen's excessive force allegation occurred three weeks ago on May 31. The other officers on the scene reported Nguyen's actions to their supervisor according to Lt. Duhamell. Nguyen has been placed on administrative duty and had all of his police gear confiscated pending the outcome of the investigation. He has been on the IMPD force for three years.