The Staten Island man who caught a fatal police chokehold on video was arrested on gun charges, NBC New York reported.
Ramsey Orta, 22, was arrested on August 2 and charged with criminal possession of a weapon on Staten Island, near where he filmed the death of Eric Garner in police custody. Members of the "Staten Island Narcotics Module" saw Orta conversing with Alba Lekaj, 17. The two walked into the Hotel Richmond, located at 71 Central Avenue, and were inside for only a short time before they both departed, according to the Gothamist. Police said the hotel is a known drug-prone location.
Plainclothes officers approached the two with their shields out and saw Orta slip an item into the girl's waistband. During a search, cops found an unloaded .25 caliber Norton handgun on the 17-year-old.
Alba was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana while Orta was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. The Gothamist reported that Orta's rap sheet includes arrests for assault, rape, robbery and menacing and he has three criminal cases pending against him.
Orta's family feels that he's been unfairly targeted by the NYPD after catching and sharing the now viral video he took of police officers putting Eric Garner in a chokehold on July 17. The video shows Garner on the ground in the hold, and police putting his arms behind his back while Garner repeatedly said, "I can't breathe." His subsequent death has been ruled a homicide.
Speaking outside of Orta's Van Duzen Street home on Aug. 3, 'Staten Island Live' reported that Orta's wife, Chrissie Ortiz, and his mother, Emily Mercado, said Orta had never owned a gun and police had been following him.
"We need to move to the moon so we can be safe," Ortiz said to "Staten Island Live."
Rev. Al Sharpton, who has spoken on behalf of Garner's family since his death, said on Aug. 3 that Orta's arrest shows why Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan should let federal authorities handle the prosecution relating to Garner's death. He added that he doesn't think Orta's arrest could damage the credibility of the video of the fatal arrest, "Staten Island Live" reported.
