Cop In Choke Hold Arrest Loses Gun And Badge

A New York police officer who was involved in the arrest of a man who died after being placed in a banned choke hold has been stripped of his gun and badge, and put on desk duty.

Daniel Pantaleo, who has been with the NYPD for eight years, and another officer with four years service, have both been taken off the street following Eric Garner's death on Staten Island.

The police refused to identify the second officer, but said he would keep his gun and badge while on desk duty.

The reassignment takes immediate effect and will remain in force while an investigation into Mr Garner's death is carried out.

The move comes after the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board said it would review more than 1,000 choke hold complaints it has received against officers over the last five years in an attempt to "discern why officers continue to use this forbidden practice".

Mr Garner was captured on video in Tompkinsville arguing with police officers who accused him of selling bootleg cigarettes.

The officers then surrounded the 43-year-old, and when he apparently resisted arrest, one placed him in a choke hold and wrestled him to the ground.

Mr Garner could be heard shouting "I can't breathe!" as he was held on the pavement.

He suffered a cardiac arrest and died at Richmond University Medical Center on Thursday.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a full investigation into the death of the father-of-six and grandfather-of-two, describing the circumstances as "very troubling".

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton told a news conference on Friday: "Choke holds are prohibited by the New York City Police Department and most departments."

A demonstration has been held in protest at Mr Garner's death and a streetside memorial set up.

The NYPD has faced criticism and legal challenges over its use of the stop and frisk tactic, which allows officers to stop anyone they suspect is about to commit a crime or has committed a crime.

Patrick Lynch, president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, the city's largest police union, called Mr Pantaleo's reassignment "completely unwarranted."

He said it denied him the "very benefit of a doubt that has long been part of the social contract that allows police officers to face the risks of this difficult and complex job".

According to federal court records, three men have sued Mr Pantaleo within the last two years over what they argued were unlawful, racially motivated arrests on Staten Island.

In the first lawsuit, settled by the city in January, two black men in their 40s accused Mr Pantaleo and other officers of arresting them without cause and subjecting them to a "humiliating and unlawful strip search" on a street.

The men said they were held overnight on charges that were ultimately dismissed seven months later.

In a second lawsuit, a man accused Mr Pantaleo and other officers of misrepresenting facts in a police report and other documents to substantiate charges that were eventually dismissed.