Captured footage shows DeKalb, Illinois police choke and tase a man for marijuana possession.
As ABC Chicago reports, Elonte McDowell was under arrest by police earlier this week as his girlfriend, Alyssa Retuerto, recorded what went down. Officer pinned him to the ground in a chokehold, and at one point, a Taser is used.
Speaking on the incident, McDowell said that he did illegally possess weed at the time and takes full responsibility for that, but he asserted that the incident was a display of unnecessary force.
"This is what some police officers do and you have to put a stand on it," he said. "If your fellow officer or fellow mate is doing something incorrect you need to be like, 'Hey! You guys just tased him or you're choking him. Stop that.'"
Retuerto can be heard asking the police officers if McDowell still has a pulse in the video. "Can you guys make sure he has a pulse? 'Cause look at his face," she said.
In a statement, the Dekalb Police Department stated that a "felony amount of cannabis was found" and that McDowell "attempted to flee" and "resist." The department added that it is currently "reviewing all available video footage and statements regarding the use of force in this incident."
McDowell emphasized his concern over how frequent this type of incident has become in America. "It needs to get out there. It happened one too many times. This happens every day," he said.
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