Eric Garner Died After NYPD Put Him In A Chokehold, Slammed His Head On Ground During Arrest

A Staten Island man died Thursday after New York
City police put him in a chokehold and slammed his
head on the ground during his arrest, all of which
was taped on video.
The New York Daily News posted the exclusive video
of police arresting Eric Garner. In the video, officers
are seen putting the 43-year-old man in a chokehold
and knocking him to the ground while he screamed
that he couldn’t breathe.
Garner, who was asthmatic, told police to let him
breathe, but officers had him pinned to the ground
and slammed his head.
The Associated Press reported that Garner, who was
married and had six children, died of a heart attack
during the arrest. An NYPD spokesman said he “was
being placed in custody, went into cardiac arrest and
died” at Richmond University Medical Center.
Garner was being arrested, according to authorities,
for selling untaxed cigarettes — an offense he was
arrested for previously.
The man’s family wants the NYPD held accountable
for his death.
Police told the AP that they are investigating his
death, but Garner "took a fighting stance" and
"absolutely resisted arrest."
In the video recorded on Thursday, Garner is seen
asking an officer in plainclothes why he was stopped
and denied allegations he was doing anything
wrong.
“Every time you see me, you want to mess with me,"
Garner said. "I’m tired of it. It stops today!”
Ramsey Orta, 22, who recorded the video, told police
the victim was not selling cigarettes and rather just
broke up a fight on the street.
Garner asked one officer not to touch him and
refused to put his hands behind his back to be
cuffed. Two officers then arrested Garner, one
putting him in a chokehold and slamming him to the
ground.
“I can't breathe, I can't breathe!" Garner screamed
six times and then went quiet. Paramedics were
called to the scene.
“They jumped him and they were choking him. He
was foaming at the mouth,” Orta told the Daily
News. “And that’s it, he was done. The cops were
saying, ‘No, he’s OK, he’s OK.” He wasn’t OK.”
Staten Island Live said those who knew Garner
called him as a "gentle giant" and "a big teddy bear.”
“When I kissed my husband this morning, I never
thought it would be for the last time,” Garner’s wife,
Esaw, told The Daily News .
New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio released a
statement about Garner’s death, assuring it will be
investigated.
"On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest
condolences to the family of Mr. Garner, who died
yesterday afternoon while being placed in police
custody,” the statement read. “We have a
responsibility to keep every New Yorker safe, and
that includes when individuals are in custody of the
NYPD. That is a responsibility that Police
Commissioner [Bill] Bratton and I take very
seriously. We are harnessing all resources available
to the city to ensure a full and thorough
investigation of the circumstances of this tragic
incident. The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau is
working closely with the Office of the Richmond
County District Attorney, which is leading this
investigation."
NYPD Internal Affairs officers launched an
investigation Thursday night,