Four EMS workers who responded to the arrest of a man
who later died in police custody were placed on modified duty a day after an
eight-year veteran of the NYPD was stripped of his badge and gun for allegedly
using a chokehold while handcuffing the man.
The EMS workers, who have not been identified,
included two EMTs and two paramedics. The workers are not city employees but
work for Richmond University Medical Center, according to the FDNY.
On Saturday, NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo was placed
on modified assignment pending further investigation into the arrest of
43-year-old Eric Garner, which was captured on a cellphone video that showed
the 43-year-old saying "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" as he was
brought to the ground by an officer using a chokehold, a tactic prohibited by
NYPD policy.
In the video, EMS workers are not shown giving CPR
when arriving at the scene.
Officials said another officer involved in the arrest,
a four-year veteran of the force who has not been identified, had been put on
administrative duty but didn't have to surrender his gun or shield.
The Staten Island District Attorney's Office is
investigating the death of Garner, who was being arrested for allegedly selling
untaxed cigarettes on Victory Boulevard and Bay Street in Tompkinsville
Thursday afternoon, according to police.
While he was being handcuffed, he went into cardiac
arrest, police said. He was taken to Richmond University Medical Center, where
he was pronounced dead.
On Sunday, the medical examiner's officer said autopsy
results are still pending.
"At this time, no determination has been made by
the Medical Examiner's office as to the cause and manner of death of Eric
Garner," the office said in a statement.
Earlier in the weekend, the Rev. Al Sharpton rallied
with supporters and Garner's family. The man's death has sparked community
outrage.
"The issue is not whether one was selling cigarettes.
The issue was how an unarmed man was subjected to a chokehold, and the result
is he is no longer with us," Sharpton said after leading the crowd in
chants of "no justice, no peace."
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association President Patrick
Lynch said in a statement that the NYPD's decision regarding Pantaleo was
politically motivated.
"The department’s modification of this police
officer under these circumstances is a completely unwarranted, knee-jerk
reaction for political reasons and nothing more," Lynch said. "It is
a decision by the department that effectively pre-judges this case and denies
the officer the very benefit of a doubt that has long been part of the social
contract that allows police officers to face the risks of this difficult and
complex job."
Mayor de Blasio has said he was "very
troubled" by the video.
"It is too early to jump to any conclusions about
this case -- we must wait for all the facts and details of the incident to
emerge," de Blasio said following Garner's death.
On Sunday, while on vacation in Italy, de Blasio
received a briefing from administration officials about the ongoing
investigation and the administration's community efforts, his office said
