According to several sources, including the New York Post, Washington based federal prosecutors plan to aggressively pursue charges against Daniel Pantaleo, the New York police officer who put the fatal chokehold on Eric Garner in Staten Island.
A source claimed that the process is going to start “sooner than later” because Washington wants to indict him.
Initially, the investigation was helmed by officers in Brooklyn but have since been replaced by DC officials. The source claimed that the New York officers are not happy about it and have accused the folks in Washington of trying to make an example out of Pantaleo.
The source said, “We already…came to a conclusion which they didn’t like. It’s truly disgraceful what they’re doing.”
Actually, what was truly disgraceful is the way Pantaleo strangled an innocent man to death in broad daylight. And what was even more disgraceful is the way the city attempted to dismiss it as if it were ok. And it’s not.
According to The New York Times, Attorney General, Loretta Lynch is behind taking the NY team off the investigation and replacing them with the D.C. officials from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
Up until now, the investigation had been on hold as investigators were trying to determine whether or not toe charge the officers, including Pantaleo for violating Mr. Garner’s rights with an illegal chokehold.
Being that this is the third time this specific case is going to trial, there are plenty of critics and those who are still doubtful.
The investigation is said to take months. We’ll see how this plays out.