Post by onthejob on Aug 3, 2014 17:01:22 GMT -5
Ramsey Orta, man who taped police putting Eric Garner in chokehold, arrested on weapons charge
August 3, 2014 by ALISON FOX / alison.fox@am-ny.com
The man who recorded police placing Eric Garner in chokehold has been arrested on a weapons charge in Staten Island, police said.
Ramsey Orta, 22, was cuffed on Central Avenue in St. George just before 10 p.m. Saturday for allegedly carrying a gun, police said.
Orta, who lives a few blocks away in the Tompkinsville area, was allegedly carrying the .25 Caliber semiautomatic firearm, which was reported stolen from Michigan in 2007.
Orta was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, police said.
The circumstances surrounding Orta's arrest were unclear.
Last month, Orta took a cellphone video of the attempted arrest of Eric Garner, of Staten Island, who died while in police custody after being placed in a chokehold.
On Friday, the medical examiner ruled the chokehold was directly responsible for killing Garner, and that his death was a "homicide."
A finding of homicide by the medical examiner means a death was caused by actions of another. It isn't itself a charge of criminal culpability.
The video sparked a heated debate about police tactics and the relationship between the community and police.
Orta has been arrested several times over the past few years, including for assault, robbery and weapons possession, police said.
Orta could not be reached for comment and it could not be determined if he had retained an attorney.
PBA President Patrick Lynch said in a statement that Orta's arrest "only underscores the dangers that brought police officers to respond to a chronic crime condition in that community. It is criminals like Mr. Orta who carry illegal firearms who stand to benefit the most by demonizing the good work of police officers."
Lynch noted in his statement that, "Sadly, in the effort to keep neighborhoods like Tompkinsville safe, a tragedy occurred. But that doesn't change the fact that police officers routinely risk their lives for the benefit of the community and that they have earned their support and understanding."
August 3, 2014 by ALISON FOX / alison.fox@am-ny.com
The man who recorded police placing Eric Garner in chokehold has been arrested on a weapons charge in Staten Island, police said.
Ramsey Orta, 22, was cuffed on Central Avenue in St. George just before 10 p.m. Saturday for allegedly carrying a gun, police said.
Orta, who lives a few blocks away in the Tompkinsville area, was allegedly carrying the .25 Caliber semiautomatic firearm, which was reported stolen from Michigan in 2007.
Orta was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, police said.
The circumstances surrounding Orta's arrest were unclear.
Last month, Orta took a cellphone video of the attempted arrest of Eric Garner, of Staten Island, who died while in police custody after being placed in a chokehold.
On Friday, the medical examiner ruled the chokehold was directly responsible for killing Garner, and that his death was a "homicide."
A finding of homicide by the medical examiner means a death was caused by actions of another. It isn't itself a charge of criminal culpability.
The video sparked a heated debate about police tactics and the relationship between the community and police.
Orta has been arrested several times over the past few years, including for assault, robbery and weapons possession, police said.
Orta could not be reached for comment and it could not be determined if he had retained an attorney.
PBA President Patrick Lynch said in a statement that Orta's arrest "only underscores the dangers that brought police officers to respond to a chronic crime condition in that community. It is criminals like Mr. Orta who carry illegal firearms who stand to benefit the most by demonizing the good work of police officers."
Lynch noted in his statement that, "Sadly, in the effort to keep neighborhoods like Tompkinsville safe, a tragedy occurred. But that doesn't change the fact that police officers routinely risk their lives for the benefit of the community and that they have earned their support and understanding."