NY police officer suspended over apparent chokehold

A New York police officer was suspended on Sunday after a video posted online appeared to show him rendering a Black man unconscious in a chokehold during an arrest, a few days after city council members voted to make it a crime for police to use the grip.

Freddie Joyner has more.

A New York police officer was suspended after a video was posted online which appeared to show the officer putting a Black man in a chokehold.

The New York Police Department banned the use of chokeholds back in 1993.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio made it clear at a press conference on Monday that the officer stepped over the line.

“The incident that occurred on the Rockaway Boardwalk, I think a lot of people have seen this very troubling video of an NYPD officer apparently using a banned chokehold, which is absolutely disturbing to watch and unacceptable.

(flash) Within hours this officer was suspended..." A strong rebuke also came from New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, who tweeted: “After a swift investigation by the Internal Affairs Bureau, a police officer involved in a disturbing apparent chokehold incident in Queens has been suspended without pay," The video posted online showed many officers restraining the man on his stomach.

One officer appeared to have his arm wrapped around the man's neck..

NBC News reported that the Black man in the video was hospitalized late on Sunday.

Agressive police tactics – especially against African Americans - have been under intense scrutiny following the death last month of George Floyd, after a police officer knelt on his neck while detaining him in Minneapolis.

On Thursday, the New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a bill that would order the city's police force to itemize and explain its surveillance gear.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he will sign the bill into law.

The legislation, which had been in limbo for years, comes amid a public outcry and massive demonstrations against police brutality and racism across the United States and around the world.