The officer, David Afanador, 39, was charged with "attempted strangulation" and "strangulation," according to a press release from the Queens County District Attorney.Afanador pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Queens County Criminal Court Thursday morning, according to his attorney Steven Worth. "It's troubling that prosecutors are now succumbing to political pressure to make summary arrests a few days after the incident rather than conduct a thorough investigation. It seems that everyone is entitled to due process these days but police officers," Worth told CNN. Prosecutors allege Officer Afanador continued a chokehold Sunday on Ricky Bellevue, 35, as other officers handcuffed him, causing Bellevue to lose consciousness, and Afanador didn't let go until another police officer pulled on Afanador's back, the release said. "Body worn camera footage shows these police officers were cursed at and badgered. Every day, however, police officers find themselves in circumstances that require them to exercise restraint and are charged with de-escalating potentially volatile conflicts," Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a press release issued prior to the arraignment. The New York City Council last week passed a package of police reform measures, including an official ban on chokeholds. The bills passed amid nationwide protests spurred by the death of George Floyd after a Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck for several minutes."The ink from the pen Gov. Cuomo used to sign this legislation was barely dry before this officer allegedly employed the very tactic the new law was designed to prohibit," Katz said. "Police officers are entrusted to serve and protect — and the conduct alleged here cannot be tolerated. This police officer iRead More – Source
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