Law enforcement in Allentown, Pennsylvania, are investigating video footage that seems to demonstrate an officer from the division kneeling on a man’s neck all through an arrest on Saturday night.
The footage, shot by a passerby and shared on Facebook by the team Black Life Make any difference to Lehigh Valley, shows 3 officers restraining the person outside of Sacred Heart Campus of St. Luke’s Medical center.
An officer in the 26-second clip is proven making use of his elbow to restrain the man in advance of placing his knee on his neck, a maneuver reminiscent of the 1 that killed George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In a statement announcing the investigation, Allentown law enforcement said the man in the video clip was noticed by cops staggering and vomiting exterior the hospital’s unexpected emergency place.
The officers, who had been at the healthcare facility for an unrelated matter, tried using to interact with the gentleman, but he yelled and spit at them, police said.
The assertion introduced by cops stated the guy was “non-compliant, which needed officers to restrain” him.
It is unclear how very long the police officer experienced his knee on the man’s neck.
The section just lately launched its use of power coverage in response to the police-associated killing of George Floyd, who died right after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost 8 minutes.
The Allentown Law enforcement Department policy prohibits neck restraints and chokeholds and states that officers should really only use the total of force required to control the circumstance.
The incident sparked a rally outside the house of the Allentown police station afterwards Saturday night time, which was organized by the group that posted the video clip to Facebook.
Police explained the male was treated at the medical center and unveiled just after the incident.
With Write-up wires
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