Police investigate viral video of officer putting man in chokehold outside Waffle House after prom
WARSAW, North Carolina -- North Carolina police are investigating after a video went viral of one of its officers putting a man in a chokehold.
The incident happened on Saturday at Waffle House.
Twenty-two-year-old Anthony Wall had just taken his 16-year-old sister to prom and went to grab a bite to eat when he said he got into an argument with several wait staff members.
From there, police were called to remove Wall, which led to him being choked, slammed, and led away in handcuffs.
"I was pretty much trying to scream for air and trying to breathe because he was holding my throat and that's when I got aggressive with him because you are choking me," said Wall.
Police said Wall was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct for the argument inside the Waffle House.
While he takes full responsibility for his interaction with Waffle House employees, he told our sister station, ABC11, the cop's actions were not justified.
"Your hands should have never been around my neck like that if my hands were in the air," Wall said.
Police Chief Eric Southerland released a statement to ABC11:
"We are currently investigating the whole incident, interviewing witnesses and gathering additional video. We have also reached out to the District Attorney's Office to make him aware of the investigation. Once the investigation is complete and the District Attorney has had a chance to review the case we will provide the public with an update on the findings."
The video, which was posted to Facebook, has been viewed thousands of times.
Wall told ABC11 he only wanted to raise awareness.
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