Pennsylvania Cop Filmed Putting Knee On Man’s Neck During Arrest

A police officer from Pennsylvania has come under fire after footage showed him kneeling on a Black man’s neck during an arrest. 

The video was caught by a driver who was making their way down a street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, July 11, when they spotted numerous officers trying to subdue the man in front of the Sacred Heart campus of St Luke’s Hospital.

The person behind the camera slowed their car to watch the scene unfold, and an officer can be seen putting his knee on the unidentified Black man’s head while other officers restrained his arms.

See the footage here:

It’s unclear what caused the altercation, but even if the man on the ground had been resisting arrest the officer was wrong to put his knee on his neck, as Allentown Police Department banned the use of chokeholds and other neck restraints earlier this month.

One person behind the camera could be heard saying,’We don’t matter,’ while another observer said the officer should ‘get off his neck’.

Footage of the scene was shared on the Black Lives Matter to the Lehigh Valley Facebook page, where the caption read:

Just last week, the Allentown Police Department praised themselves for releasing their use of force policy.

No sooner than a week after the APD released this policy, a police officer was viewed applying the same use of force, knee to the neck, procedure that killed George Floyd.

WE DEMAND ANSWERS! What good is a use of force policy if Allentown lives will still be disregarded?!

The video has been met with backlash as social media users condemn the officer’s actions. Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump was among those expressing their outrage at the scene, as he demanded the name and badge number be released for the officer seen kneeling on the man’s neck.

Crump commented:

GRAPHIC VIDEO: @AllentownPolice held down this man’s face to the pavement and then one of its officers placed their knee on his neck!! This happened yesterday and is exactly what led to #GeorgeFloyd’s death. We need this officer’s name and badge # NOW #ICantBreathe

When protesters asked O’Connell for his thoughts on the video, he said: ‘When I look at it, I think it’s disturbing. I think we have to gather all the facts and information before we go forward.’

Police have not released any details about the altercation, and it’s unclear what condition the man is in following the incident.

Granitz said an investigation into the situation will be held.