NYPD officer testifies he exaggerated charges against Eric Garner

An NYPD officer involved in the confrontation that led to the death of Eric Garner in 2014 testified Tuesday that he later wrote up paperwork exaggerating the charges on which officers were attempting to arrest him, according to the Associated Press.

Officer Justin D’Amico offered testimony in the disciplinary trial of Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who is accused of placing Garner in a banned chokehold during his arrest on for allegedly selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

{mosads}After Garner’s death, D’Amico testified he filled out paperwork including a felony charge indicating Garner had sold 10,000 cigarettes, which D’Amico conceded was inaccurate, testifying Garner had been in possession of fewer than 100 cigarettes at the time of his death.

Garner died after being placed in a headlock by Pantaleo on the afternoon of July 17, 2014. He can be heard on video saying “I can’t breathe” 11 times during his arrest.

The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office ruled his death was the result of “compression of neck (choke hold), compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police” but the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau concluded Pantaleo did not place him in a chokehold.

The incident, as well as a grand jury’s decision that December not to indict Pantaleo, led to widespread demonstrations and was one of the early incidents that led to the Black Lives Matter movement.