Eric Garner: Daneil Pantaleo One Year After The ‘I Can’t Breathe’ Chokehold Arrest
NYPD officer Daniel Panataleo remains under 24-hour guard a year after the death of Eric Garner. A New York city grand jury declined to indict Pantaleo for the arrest and chokehold death of Garner. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Esaw Garner recently turned down a $5 million settlement from the city, but days later, she accepted a $5.9 million offer to settle the wrongful death lawsuit.
Daniel Pantaleo, 30, has an unmarked NYPD car in front of his home at all times due to death threats stemming from the Eric Garner case, according to a report by the Daily Mail. The federal government’s investigation into the actions of Pantaleo during the Garner arrest remains ongoing. The officer is now reportedly working a desk job, and he is not out policing the streets. An internal affairs investigation also remains ongoing. Pantaleo has surrendered his shield and service weapon.
Pantaleo is believed to be escorted to and from his vehicle by plainclothes detectives whenever he needs to go out of the home where the blinds are always kept drawn. Both the home of the NYPD officer and his parent’s home are reportedly protected by a 24-hour protection detail.
Exactly one year ago today, Daniel Pantaleo and four other NYPD officers stopped Eric Garner on a Staten Island street corner. Garner, 43, died after stating “I can’t breathe” multiple times during the arrest. Garner had been arrested in the past for the misdemeanor crime of selling loose cigarettes. When asked about the victim’s employment status, the Garner family attorney would only state that the man was part of the underground economy.
An affidavit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last month stated that Pantaleo said that he was still receiving death threats. He had surveillance cameras and a panic button installed inside his home in order to better protect himself. The same court document also maintained that a Michigan man threatened to behead the NYPD officer involved in the Eric Garner death. The man was arrested and is reportedly being evaluated by psychiatrists.
“Because certain (personal) records have already been improperly released, without my knowledge or permission, I have actually been harassed, embarrassed and subjected to character assassination,” Daniel Pantaleo wrote in the affidavit. “There is no doubt in my mind that the information will be used to continue to harass and embarrass me, creating a continued serious risk to the personal safety of myself and my family.”
The Justice Department investigation and the NYPD internal affairs review are reportedly being conducted in a concurrent manner. The federal agents are examining whether or not Daniel Pantaleo violated Eric Garner’s civil rights and if the death was a result of a hate crime. The federal review is also reportedly looking into the chokehold to determine if the maneuver to subdue the much larger suspect was within the scope of police department training.
[Image via: A Katz/Shutterstock.com]
