NYPD cop found guilty of strangulation, using prohibited chokehold on arrested man: DA

A Bronx cop was found guilty Thursday of strangulation and using a prohibited chokehold — the first time an NYPD officer has been convicted under the city’s post-George Floyd ban of the restraint tactic, the district attorney’s office said. Officer Omar Habib – who had been on the job since 2007 – was fired from the ranks after a jury convicted him of wrapping his arms around an arrested man’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness, on July 28, 2023, according to authorities and prosecutors. He was found guilty of second-degree strangulation – a violent felony that could land him in prison for 7 years – in addition to third-degree assault and unlawful methods of restraint, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. This marks the first time an NYPD cop was convicted under the third charge — a misdemeanor that falls under New York City Statute 10-181, making chokehold use by police officers illegal.The reform was sparked by George Floyd’s police-involved death in Minneapolis in 2020.Habib and other officers were attempting to arrest Lord Nymaah, who got into a fight at an Eastchester Road catering hall party and began punching the bathroom mirrors, Assistant District Attorney Michael Naughton said at trial, according to Gothamist.Nymaah was “drunk and disorderly and refused to be placed under arrest,” Bronx prosecutors said.Habib, who was assigned to the 47th Precinct, then allegedly placed Nymaah “in a chokehold so tightly, it impeded the man’s breathing and circulation, resulting in his temporary loss of consciousness,” prosecutors said.  Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.Please provide a valid email.

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The officer’s defense attorney, Jacob Weinstein, argued that evidence does not indicate Nymaah lost consciousness because of Habib’s actions, Got...