Investigation Underway After Video Of George Floyd-Like Arrest Goes Viral

Authorities in Pennsylvania have launched an investigation after a video of what seemed to be a George Floyd-like arrest went viral and sparked outrage from concerned residents.

The incident was captured on video late Saturday, July 11, outside the Sacred Heart Campus of Saint Luke's Hospital in Allentown. The 26-second clip showed three officers attempting to restrain a man while his face was on the ground.

While the video didn't show what prompted the officers to arrest the man, it appeared that one of the officers placed his elbow and his knee on the man's neck, an act similar to what former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin did when he restrained George Floyd on Memorial Day.

Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

The clip was shared on social media by Black Lives Matter to Lehigh Valley and immediately called for the release of body cam footage and more information on the incident. ABC News said the group touched on the police department's use of force policy which prohibits them to use neck restraints unless preventing “imminent death or serious bodily injury to a member or citizen.”

“@AllentownPolice were filmed Saturday evening applying the same force to a resident that the cops used to murder #GeorgeFloyd.

“We demand answers. We demand change. We're Done Dying,” said the group as they shared the viral video on Twitter. They also used the hashtag #DefundThePolice.

The officer in question was white, while the man they are restraining appeared to be Black, said NBC News.

The Allentown Police Department said in a statement released late Sunday that officers saw the man staggering down the street and vomiting and eventually stopped in the driveway of the hospital's emergency room, said The Independent.

The man's “erratic behavior” made officers and hospital staff to “interact” with him, but the man suddenly began to yell, scream and spit.

“As the officers attempted to restrain the individual, all parties fell to the ground. The individual continued to be non-compliant, which required officers to restrain the individual and the hospital staff applied a spit shield,” the statement added.

The individual, who was treated and released by the hospital, as well as the officers involved, were not identified by the police, said ABC News.

Protesters gathered outside the police department late Saturday following the spread of the video. Black Lives Matter to Lehigh Valley shared a video showing Allentown Mayor Roy O'Connell speaking with the demonstrators as they chanted “defund the police.”

The lawyer of Floyd's family, Ben Crump, also shared the video on his Twitter page and demanded the officer's name and badge.

“This happened yesterday and is exactly what led to #GeorgeFloyd's death,” read Crump's caption.