A New York Police District cop who was caught on video choking Eric Garner, a man he suspected of selling "illegal cigarettes" near the Staten Island ferry terminal, was stripped of his weapon, badge and shield and was immediately assigned to work desk duty.

High-ranking NYPD officials and the Staten Island District Attorney are currently investigating the case against Daniel Pantaleo and the other officers who were caught on tape putting Garner in chokehold in what witnesses said was another case of police brutality

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Pantaleo, an eight-year police veteran, was shown in the amateur video talking lightly to his colleagues while Garner complained that he could not breathe.

The video, which has gone viral since Friday, showed that no medical help was received by Garner as he lay lifeless surrounded by the eight police officers who did nothing but slap his shoulders to determine if he was still alive, and empty his pockets of cigarettes and cellphone.

The investigators are trying to determine whether there was a justification on the chokehold or not.

The 400-pound Garner was said to be asthmatic.

An ambulance arrived ten minutes later and Garner was wheeled on a stretcher and taken to the nearby hospital in Staten. He died shortly after from a heart attack but doctors said his choking could be a contributing factor.

Top officers of NYPD who have seen the tapes said that tactically, "very little was done right." They also said that the two officers, Pantaleo and Officer Justin Damico, did not engage Garner and appear to know him.

The top officials said that a sergeant who was standing nearby and did not do anything while Garner was being put in a chokehold can be charged with "failure to supervise."

Damico, four years in the force, is also being investigated but was not forced to turn in his gun and badge.The police union said the move was "completely unwarranted."

Garner's sister, Elicia Flagg, said their is no justification on the chokehold. She added that many stores sell illegal cigarettes.

"They lose their license and not their lives," she said.

The latest video showing the apathetic policemen sparked a public outrage, denouncing police brutality coming from what has been dubbed as "New York's Finest."

In December 1994, an asthmatic young man named Anthony Baez also died while being put on chokehold by New York police when he accidentally hit a police car with a ball while he and his brothers were playing street football outside their Bronx home.

Relatives of Baez said news of Eric Garner's death brought back the same pain they felt over Anthony's death 20 years ago.

TagsEric Garner, New York police chokehold, Anthony Baez