“The tape shows clearly that the cops forearm was around the man’s neck. I saw the tatooed paramilitary guy with his knee on the mans head”
Yeah, that’s what I saw too. Some people are saying there was no chokehold, it was a “seatbelt” maneuver. Well, you can see at the beginning, when he is standing up, it is not a chokehold, because the officer is reaching up from under his armpit. However, when they try to take him down, the officer loses his grip and reaches over the shoulder to get a hold on him. At that point, it was a chokehold.
I forgot to mention this thing about “choke holds:” it’s a Jujitsu move; the carotid arteries are restricted for a few seconds, causing the person to black out. The airway is not pinched; it’s not strangulation. It is an autonomic reaction triggered by sensors in the arteries when a blood pressure drop is sensed downstream of the choke point. Here’s the thing: some people are more sensitive to the stimulous, and though harmless to a healthy person, it’s dangerous to unhealthy people.
As I understand, as the subject comes out of the blackout, the adrenal glands kick in. The heart attack may have been triggered by the subsequent adrenaline rush.
I always thought the maneuver was illegal. Maybe that’s changed over the last 15 years.
One thing I got wrong last night: the cop did not have his knee on Garners head, though he was using considerable force pushing it onto the pavement.