NYPD Officer Omar Habib Convicted Under 2020 Chokehold Ban, Faces Up to 7 Years
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
NYPD Officer Omar Habib Convicted Under 2020 Chokehold Ban, Faces Up to 7 Years
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Summary
Bronx jurors found Omar Habib guilty of felony strangulation, misdemeanor assault and the misdemeanor chokehold offense, the first conviction of an NYPD officer under New York City’s 2020 ban.
July 28, 2023 arrest footage and prosecutors’ case said Habib used a chokehold on a drunk, disorderly man at a Bronx catering hall, cutting off breathing and circulation until he lost consciousness.
Judge Cynthia Isales ordered Habib held without bail, and the NYPD said the officer—suspended without pay and on the force since 2007—was terminated after the felony conviction as required by law.
Prior misconduct allegations shadowed the case: a civilian board had substantiated a separate 2017 chokehold complaint, and Habib had also faced accusations tied to a 2016 gun raid.
The verdict tests a law passed after George Floyd’s murder and upheld in 2023 after union challenges; police use of chokeholds had long been barred by NYPD policy but rarely led to criminal prosecution.