The NYPD has launched an internal affairs investigation after a video was posted to YouTube showing a woman being choked by an officer, a sergeant, during an apparent traffic stop.
The 19-second video, which you can watch above, was posted Sunday by a user named “Kiwi in Munich,” and was taken by passersby. It is not yet clear when it occurred.
“A preliminary review of the video revealed that this is not a recent incident, however it has been forwarded to Internal Affairs for further review,” a police spokesman told the New York Daily News.
A police source told the newspaper the unnamed sergeant is now a lieutenant and the incident occurred more than two years ago.
(Youtube screenshot)
The New York Post reports that the video was recorded in Manhattan’s 5th Precinct along Hester Street near Mulberry Street.
Chokeholds were banned by the NYPD in 1993, according to the Post. The patrol guide says “a chokehold shall include, but is not limited to, any pressure to the throat or windpipe, which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air.”
The woman seen in the video has not been identified. Police have not released any other details about the incident and what led up to it.
