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Daniel Prude death: New footage shows moment he choked on his vomit in 'spit hood' as cops held him face down

The African-American man begged officers to remove the spit hood and said 'you’re trying to kill me' after being held down on the ground
UPDATED DEC 8, 2020
Daniel Prude's death footage (New York AG)
Daniel Prude's death footage (New York AG)

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK: New footage of Daniel Prude's death released by the New York district attorney shows the moment he choked on his own vomit while wearing a police hood. after allegedly being held face down by cops, naked on the street. Prude, 41, died a week after being restrained by police in Rochester, New York – an incident that sparked protests when a video of his death emerged in September. That video was different from the one which has come to light recently, which includes multiple angles of body cameras worn by the police officers who held Prude on the ground on the night of March 23. The state also released six videos with redactions of the police encounter.

The African-American man begged officers to remove the "spit hood" or police hood and said “you’re trying to kill me" after being held down on the ground. His protests appear to turn into grunts before water comes out of his mouth. One of the officers asked: "You puking?" Another officer is heard saying: "He feels pretty cold."



 

The footage showed how one of the cops placed the "spit hood" on top of Prude's head. The hood in question, which is made of mesh, is typically used to prevent officers from coming into contact with the bodily fluids of a detainee.

MEAWW previously reportedthat Prude suffered from acute mental health issues due to which he started acting erratically, including jumping headfirst down a flight of stairs. His brother, Joe Prude, then dialed emergency services for help. Daniel received a mental health evaluation at Strong Memorial Hospital and was released that night. Later, on the same night, he ran on the streets, when the police detained him. Police put a spit hood on his head for several minutes while he was lying naked on the pavement. 

The footage, released on December 4, showed and unclothed Prude, complying with police to put his hands behind his back and get on the ground. Prude yelled and spit at officers while on the ground which was when the spit hood was placed over his head. At the time, an officer had said that Prude was spitting at the officers and that was the reason the hood was put on him because the cops were concerned about contracting coronavirus.

Daniel Prude (GoFundMe)

The video also showed one of the officers pushing Prude's head into the pavement for over two minutes while the latter was wearing the hood. He told Prude to stop spitting while another officer places a knee on the naked man's back. He eventually fell unconscious after which he was loaded into an ambulance and taken away. Prude remained on life support till he passed away a week late on March 30. Prude's death was ruled a homicide caused by complications with asphyxiation "in the setting of physical restraint."

"Our criminal justice system is in need of significant reform to rebuild the trust between police and the communities they serve," said Attorney General Letitia James. “Key to that reform is increased transparency, which is why I am proactively releasing video footage from our active investigations into police-involved killings. All of our communities deserve transparency, accountability, and justice, and I believe this is a critical step in moving us forward," James added.

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