
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, 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.
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.
In the video, EMS workers are not shown giving CPR when arriving at the scene.