VIDEO: Black man says he thought about Eric Garner while in police chokehold that left him unconscious
A disturbing video has emerged showing a man unconscious and a woman begging for police to check his pulse after an Illinois police officer uses a chokehold and a stun gun until he passes out.
—Mother of Eric Garner writes powerful essay after decline to prosecute police officer who killed him—
On Tuesday, Elonte McDowell and his girlfriend Alyssa Retuero were pulled over by police in DeKalb, Illinois, and a video filmed by Retuero shows the shocking encounter.
The officer applying the choke-hold can be heard telling McDowell, “You’re okay, big boy” and slaps his face while telling him it’s a “nice fake” as if the unconscious man was pretending to be in distress.
McDowell recalled the horrifying moments saying his life flashed before him and all he could think of was Eric Garner.
“I’m very jittery. I can’t stop shaking,” McDowell said Tuesday. “My mom is in the back of my mind, my brothers… Eric Garner is in the back of my mind,” NBC 5 in Chicago reports.
Police claim McDowell tried to flee the scene after a police dog got a hit that drugs were possibly in their vehicle. Police claim “a felony-amount of cannabis” was found in the vehicle.
Four officers were seen trying to take McDowell down and arrest him. On Monday, Retuero posted the troubling video that quickly went viral.
Dekalb police have launched an investigation into the troubling encounter.
“The DeKalb Police Department is reviewing all available video footage and statements regarding the use of force in this incident,” the department said in its release. “The DeKalb Police Department has contacted the Illinois State Police requesting they conduct an independent review of this incident. At this time, the officer involved in this incident has been temporarily reassigned to administrative duties.”
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