Daniel Pantaleo, Man Responsible For Eric Garner's Death, Sues To Get NYPD Job Back

Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

Pantaleo was fired in August after he was found guilty of using a banned chokehold on Garner.

Daniel Pantaleo, the former NYPD officer whose use of a chokehold on Eric Garner resulted in his death, sued the police department, the city, and Police Commissioner James O'Neill on Wednesday over his firing.

READ: NYPD Lieutenant Texted Officer “Not A Big Deal” After Learning Of Eric Garner’s Death

In a report from the New York Post, Pantaleo's suit states that his firing from the department was "arbitrary and capricious."

O'Neill terminated the 43-year-old Pantaleo after it was determined he violated department policy by restraining Garner with a prohibited chokehold in 2014.

Pantaleo denied that he used a chokehold and claimed to have used a legal move called the "seatbelt" on Garner. However, even a medical examiner testfied that Pantaleo's alleged chokehold caused an asthma attack and was "part of the lethal cascade of events."

"In this case, the unintended consequence of Mr. Garner's death must have a consequence of its own," O’Neill said at the time of Pantaleo's firing. "Therefore, I agree with the deputy commissioner of trials, legal findings and recommendations, it is clear that Daniel Pantaleo can no longer effectively serve as a New York City police officer."

Pantaleo managed to avoid federal charges for Garner's death following a five-year investigation by the Justice Department.

Source: New York Post