An African-born man has alleged he was racially discriminated against after Australian police officers broke his forearm during a violent arrest.
Changamire Chipangamazano*, 48, was trying to fill up the fuel tank of his Mitsubishi Lancer sedan in Ipswich, 40 kilometres west of Brisbane, shortly before Christmas last year.
Mr Chipangamazano said the pump where he had parked his car was not supplying E10, so he had to turn around and look for another place. He vaguely recalled two police officers shouting something at him.
When he got out of his car to find out what was going on, officers approached him and one of them yelled: “Get back in your car!”
Mr Chipangamazano, who moved to Brisbane from Zimbabwe 13 years ago and owns a lawn mowing business, replied: “You don’t need to talk to me like that” and began filming with his phone.
The dramatic confrontation, which left the father of a child with a broken arm, was captured on police officers’ body cameras.
In the images, obtained by the ABCThe officer can be heard shouting “you’re under arrest for not wearing a seat belt” as he lunges towards Mr Chipangamazano.
Changamire Chipangamazano (pictured), not his real name, was trying to fill up the fuel tank of his Mitsubishi Lancer sedan in Ipswich, 40km west of Brisbane, shortly before Christmas last year.
Mr Chipangamazano, 48, said the pump where he had parked his car was not supplying E10, so he had to turn around and look for another spot. He vaguely recalled two police officers shouting something at him.
The officers pulled Mr. Chipangamazano’s arms behind his back and he screamed in pain.
“You broke my hand!” he screamed as officers told him to “stop resisting.”
“What accusation is this?” he shouted repeatedly.
The officers handcuffed his arms behind his back as he continued to scream in agony.
Mr Chipangamazano said the pain was “unbearable”.
He was later taken to Ipswich Hospital for treatment of a fractured forearm.
“I couldn’t engage in conversation… there was no empathy, nothing, they just treated me like an animal,” Chipangamazano said.
The officers pulled Mr Chipangamazano’s arms behind his back and he screamed in pain on the concourse floor.
Charges against Mr Chipangamazano (pictured) were later dropped after he filed a complaint with police alleging he had been racially discriminated against.
“I was thinking about death, the way it happened so fast.”
Mr Chipangamazano declined to give his full name and was taken to the Ipswich guardhouse in the back of a police vehicle, where he was charged with not wearing a seatbelt and obstructing police.
The charges were later dropped after she filed a complaint with police alleging she had been racially discriminated against.
“Even if he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt… there’s nothing that justifies that kind of behavior,” he said.
“It was the most inhumane behavior I have ever seen… (the officers) treated me like an aggressive dog.”
A Queensland Police spokesman said an internal investigation had been launched into the matter.
“It would be inappropriate to comment further while this is ongoing,” he said.
*Name changed
