An ex-Alabama police officer faces ten years in prison after being indicted on a federal charge following a violent confrontation with an Indian grandfather . Eric Sloan Parker , 26 , of Toney was charged with one felony count of using unreasonable force by a federal grand jury on Thursday . Sureshbhai Patel , 57 , was left partially paralyzed after being slammed face-first during the confrontation in February , which was captured on camera . Patel was deprived of his right to be free from unreasonable searches , seizures and force by police during the confrontation with Parker , according to the indictment . Scroll down for video . Ex-Alabama officer Eric Sloan Parker , 26 , has been indicted on one felony count of using unreasonable force following the violent confrontation with an Indian grandfather in February . Grandfather Sureshbhai Patel is seen in footage being thrown face-first to the ground on February 6 . He was hospitalized and had two operations on his vertebrae but remains partially paralyzed . The charge against Parker carries a ten-year sentence , according to AL.com . He also faces a state misdemeanor assault charge which carries up to one year in jail . Parker plans to plead not guilty , said defense attorney Robert Tuten . 'We are shocked , disappointed and overwhelmed by all the ways Eric Parker is coming under attack , ' Tuten said in an email . 'However , we are looking forward to seeing the indictment and having our day in court . ' Parker is scheduled to appear in court on April 15 for an evidentiary hearing . 'Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and protect the public , ' said U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance in a statement on Friday . 'The public must be able trust the police . ' The former officer was fired last month from the Madison City Police Department following the incident . Patel , who has suffered from partial paralysis , was visiting relatives when police were called to a suburban neighborhood where he was walking on February 6 . He had only been in the country for two weeks , arriving so he could help take care of his 17-month-old grandson . Two officers initially responded to a complaint a 'suspicious person ' was looking in garages around the neighborhood which residents say is usually quiet . The caller said they did not recognize Mr Patel and claimed he was walking on other people 's property . When officers arrived on the scene Patel said 'no English ' and walked away as officers tried to search him before he was thrown to the ground . Officers tried to get Patel to stand to his feet but he could not after suffering injury to his vertebrae . When they arrived on the scene he said 'no English ' , and repeated his son 's house number in a bid to inform them he was in fact a resident . He stepped away when officers tried to search him , prompting one of them to bring him to the ground . Despite being lifted up and dusted down , Patel could not stay on his feet - and after two operations no his vertebrae , remains partially paralyzed . At the time of the incident , his son Chirag , who paid for him to fly over from the small Indian village of Pij , told AL.com : 'This is a good neighborhood . I did n't expect anything to happen . 'He was just walking on the sidewalk as he does all the time . They put him to the ground . ' 'It is a dream for me because I came from a very poor family and I worked so hard here . ' Hank Sherrod , an attorney for the family , also told the site following the incident : 'This is broad daylight , walking down the street . There is nothing suspicious about Mr. Patel other than he has brown skin . His son Chirag , who paid for him to fly over from the small Indian village of Pij , said bringing his father over to the US was a dream . He was surprised at the attack as he believes its a good neighborhood . The clothes his father had laid out on his bed in preparation for his stay are left folded up . 'This is just one of those things that does n't need to happen . ' Patel has recently made progress by taking a few steps using a walker but remains in a rehab center in Huntsville . Sherrod said the man and his family were 'very pleased by the prompt and decisive action ' of federal prosecutors . Alabama Gov . Robert Bentley previously apologized to the Indian government for the treatment of Patel , calling it a case of 'excessive force . ' The police chief in Madison , a suburb of Huntsville in the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama , also has apologized for what happened to Patel . Officers initially responded to a complaint a 'suspicious person ' was looking in garages around the neighborhood . His attorney has claimed there was nothing suspicious 'other than he has brown skin '
Ex-Alabama officer Eric Sloan Parker , ten-year , was charged with one felony count of using unreasonable force by federal grand jury on Thursday . Sureshbhai Patel , 57 was slammed onto sidewalk in Madison on Feb. 6 . Footage shows Patel being lifted , thrown down , then unable to stand . He is partially paralyzed after incident and remains at rehabilitation center . Felony charge carries 26 sentence ; Parker also faces misdemeanor assault charge .