https://www.facebook.com/100009578835217/videos/1981470465515562/
Video of an arrest outside of a Waffle House in Warsaw, North Carolina has sparked a police investigation.
A video posted Tuesday on Facebook by Anthony Wall shows Wall being cuffed at the Waffle House, but not before the arresting officer grabbed Wall by the throat.
“This have to stop please help by share reporting to ever news report u know please,” he wrote on Facebook.
The video has been viewed more than one million times.
Wall, 22, got into an argument with Waffle House staff. He went there after taking his 16-year-old sister to prom to get something to eat.
The police were called to the scene and what happened when authorities arrived is what you see caught on camera.
While not, strictly speaking, the chokehold position, the officer clearly did grab Wall by the throat. Wall said he couldn’t breathe.
“I was pretty much trying to scream for air and trying to breathe because he was holding my throat and that’s when I got aggressive with him because you are choking me,” Wall told ABC 11. “Your hands should have never been around my neck like that if my hands were in the air.”
Wall said he would take responsibility for the argument that got the police called to the scene, but added that the altercation didn’t make getting his throat grabbed an appropriate response.
While he takes full responsibility for his interaction with Waffle House employees, he told ABC11 the cop’s actions were not justified.
Although the officer involved has not yet been identified, Warsaw Police Chief Eric Southerland has released a statement announcing that an investigation is underway.
“We are currently investigating the whole incident, interviewing witnesses and gathering additional video. We have also reached out to the District Attorney’s Office to make him aware of the investigation,” he said. “Once the investigation is complete and the District Attorney has had a chance to review the case we will provide the public with an update on the findings.”
Wall was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. It’s not clear at this time if those charges will be pursued in light of the current investigation.
[Image via Facebook screengrab]
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