Halifax ‘choke’ video arrest man Hassan Ahmed feared for life

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Media captionHassan Ahmed says he was not resisting arrest

A man who was filmed apparently being choked by a police officer during an arrest believed he was going to die.

A video of the arrest, shared on social media, shows Hassan Ahmed being held on the ground with an arm around his neck.

The 27-year-old, from Halifax, has since been released under investigation and says he was not resisting arrest.

The officer involved has been suspended by West Yorkshire Police pending an investigation

Speaking to the BBC Mr Ahmed said: “I was afraid for my life, I thought ‘that’s it, he’s going to end up killing me’.

“I honestly thought it was my final moments, I was in shock, I was really scared.”

He said the arrest came after he was called to the area by a family member and got into an argument with a man, in which he admitted punching him.

“He did push me as if he were going to arrest me, I complied, I didn’t resist him, I complied all the way. I even had my hand by my sides.”

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Media captionThe officer pictured initially restraining the man has been suspended, say West Yorkshire Police

During the video, a voice can be heard saying “chill out or I’ll choke you out, chill out or you’re going to sleep”.

Mr Ahmed is seen tapping on the floor and another voice can be heard saying “I give up” before he is told to “turn over now”, with another officer helping to detain him.

“I was just thinking about my family, I thought ‘He’s not going to let go, he’s going to keep going, he’s going to finish me’,” Mr Ahmed said.

“I was in pain, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t feel anything, I couldn’t even gasp for air.

“He carried on, then he punched me in my face.”

Mr Ahmed says the incident has left him unable to sleep or work.

Image caption Protesters gathered earlier and marched past Halifax police station

His sister Safyah, earlier joined a demonstration outside Halifax police station by about 100 protesters.

She said she had felt sickened when she saw the video.

The protesters carried signs which read “Stop police brutality” and “You’re not above the law”.

“It’s obviously struck a chord with everyone from every background,” Safyah said.

West Yorkshire Police said that after it had been made aware of the video that was circulating, the officer involved was suspended pending an investigation.

“We immediately reviewed the footage and looked into it as a matter of urgency to establish the full circumstances,” the force said in a statement.

“We have reviewed the actions of the officers involved and a referral has been made to the Force’s Professional Standards Directorate.

“Our investigation remains ongoing and we have made a voluntarily referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).

“The officer involved has been removed from frontline operational duties.”

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