CHARGED WITNESS

Man Who Filmed NYPD Chokehold Arrested

On weapons charges.

The man who filmed the fatal NYPD chokehold of Eric Garner and sparked subsequent criticism of the police force was arrested Saturday night. Ramsey Orta, 22, was charged with two counts of criminal possession after, police allege, he tried to slip a .25-caliber Norton semiautomatic handgun into the waistband of a 17-year-old, Alba Lekaj. The incident took place on a part of Central Avenue in Staten Island known for drug dealing. Police union officials said Orta’s arrest illustrated the danger they face in area where Garner was held in the banned chokehold. The video of Garner’s death has set off a debate about police practices. Rev. Al Sharpton denounced Orta’s arrest and called for a federal civil rights investigation.