Atlanta police officer accused of breaking man’s ankle in 2019 indicted

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – A police officer with the Atlanta Police Department has been charged with aggravated battery related to an incident on April 5, 2019.

According to the indictment, Donald Vickers is accused of tackling a man named Tyler Griffin and rendering his left ankle “useless.”

“I do feel 100 percent better, and it just goes into the fact that I know I did everything right that evening,” said Griffin, in an interview on Tuesday, after learning about the indictment.

Vickers and another officer pulled Griffin over because they thought he was drinking and driving.

When Griffin exited the car, he brushed an officer’s hand away. Vickers reportedly tackled him in response.

After the tackle, Vickers could be heard saying on body camera video “You sound like a little girl right now.”

“I have to walk on this ankle every day and the pain I’m experiencing causes me to think about my case. Because it’s not over, it’s like I’m reliving the trauma every single day,” said Griffin, on Tuesday.

After he was arrested, Griffin filed a complaint with the department. He said that the officers were in an unmarked car with no lights and sirens and he became concerned for his safety when he realized he was followed. Griffin denied he was intoxicated at the time of the traffic stop.

In December 2019, Vickers was cited by the department’s Office of Professional Standards for breaking multiple police policies, including temporarily turning off his body camera and…