New York police officer suspended after apparent chokehold incident caught on video

[June 22, 2020]  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York police officer was suspended on Sunday after a video posted online appeared to show him putting a Black man in a chokehold during an arrest.

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

But the death of George Floyd after a police officer knelt on his neck while detaining him in Minneapolis on May 25 has put police tactics and methods in the spotlight again.

"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", New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said in a tweet on Sunday.

"While a full investigation is still underway, there is no question in my mind that this immediate action is necessary", Shea said.

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, the video showed.

The man was hospitalized late on Sunday, NBC News reported .

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.

The NYPD watch demonstrators protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in New York City, New York, U.S. June 11, 2020. Picture taken June 11, 2020. REUTERS/Idris Solomon

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 changes in policies around policing following Floyd's death, which has led to demonstrations against police brutality and racism across the United States and around the world.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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