Video shows police officer kneeling on a man’s neck

Allentown, Pa. —The woman who shot a video outside St. Luke’s Hospital-Sacred Heart in Allentown that shows a police officer putting his knee on a man’s head and neck during an arrest said the man was screaming “Mira, mira!” — Spanish for ‘Look, look!’”

“That means he knew what was going on and he was screaming for someone like me to see,” said the woman, an Allentown resident who doesn’t want her name made public and uses a pseudonym on Facebook.

The video prompted a large protest outside Allentown police headquarters Saturday night by Black Lives Matter activists and others who said they were stunned that the officer appeared to use a restraining move similar to the one that killed Minneapolis resident George Floyd and prompted nationwide protests against police brutality.

Assistant Chief Bill Lake said the incident came under immediate review, in keeping with the department’s use-offorce policy.

“As soon as this came to light, we got the ball rolling,” he said.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said his office will review Allentown’s conclusions, adding he can’t comment on the case until that process is done.

The woman, who lives near the hospital, said she and a friend drove by and saw three officers and a St. Luke’s employee surrounding the unidentified man, who was kneeling on the sidewalk.

She drove around the block to get another look and began filming as she approached because she could see the officers now had the man on the ground and were struggling to restrain him.

The video, less than 30 seconds long, shows one of the officers putting his shoulder and elbow on the man’s back before pressing his knee on his head and neck.

In a slightly longer version, the employee of the hospital — which is a campus of St. Luke’s University Health Network — walks over to the woman’s car and tells her she is blocking the street and has to move. No one from St. Luke’s could be reached to comment Sunday.

The woman posted the video online. She didn’t realize until Sunday morning that it had prompted such a massive outcry.

“My friend is part of the [Black Lives Matter] group and he was blowing up my phone all night while I was sleeping,” she said.

The video is already garnering national attention — including from attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Floyd’s family.

“Allentown police held down this man’s face to the pavement and then one of its officers placed their knee on his neck!!” he tweeted. “This happened yesterday and is exactly what led to #GeorgeFloyd’s death. We need this officer’s name and badge # NOW. #ICantBreathe.”