New York jurors today heard closing arguments in the trial of Daniel Pantaleo, a former New York City police officer facing charges of using a prohibited chokehold on Eric Garner, an 43-year-old Staten Island father, who died in July 2014 after a confrontation on a street.
Prosecutors say Pantaleo used a banned chokehold as he arrested Garner for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes, and that the hold was responsible for Garner’s fatal asthma attack. Pantaleo’s lawyers, on the other hand, argue that Garner’s poor health and his refusal to cooperate during the arrest were the primary causes of his death.
In their closing statements, Assistant District Attorney Joan Lesti McIver told jurors that the evidence would show that Pantaleo’s actions were “a series of intentional and reckless decisions” that led to Garner’s death, and that the chokehold was not a necessary or justified use of force.
McIver also pointed out that no crime was committed by Garner at the time of the confrontation, and that the only reason Pantaleo stopped him was to write a summons for disorderly conduct.
Defense attorney Stuart London, however, said that the fact that Pantaleo had explained that he used a seatbelt chokehold, which he claimed was a “seatbelt hold” taught by his instructor, proves that it wasn’t a forbidden chokehold. London also argued that Garner was “well aware of his medical conditions and could have done something about it.”
London also emphasized that Pantaleo never intended to harm Garner, who had become combative and resisted arrest, and that the officer had been following police procedure.
The jury is set to begin deliberating over the case next week, with the possibility of a guilty verdict, acquittal, or a mistrial.