A New York City Police Department officer, Omar Habib, was found guilty of strangulation and using a prohibited chokehold, marking the first time an NYPD officer was convicted under the city’s 2020 chokehold ban. The ban was enacted after the 2020 death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin.
Conviction Details
Habib was convicted of the misdemeanor established under the law prohibiting certain restraint tactics by police officers. He was also found guilty of second-degree felony strangulation and third-degree misdemeanor assault. The felony strangulation conviction carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Habib was responding to a 911 call at a Bronx catering hall on July 28, 2023, when a drunk and disorderly man resisted arrest. Prosecutors said Habib put the man in a chokehold so tight that it impeded his breathing and circulation and caused him to lose consciousness.
Reaction and History
The president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, Patrick Hendry, denounced the verdict, stating that it was further proof of a grim reality: every second police officers spend on the job puts them at risk of criminal prosecution.
Habib had a history of substantiated misconduct complaints about excessive use of force and abusing his authority. The Civilian Complaint Review Board substantiated an allegation that Habib used a chokehold in a separate 2017 encounter.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
