By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-13 23:36:10 | Updated at 2026-08-14 00:37:01
1 hour ago
A Bronx cop was found guilty Thursday of strangulation and using a prohibited chokehold — the first time an NYPD officer has been convicted under the city’s post-George Floyd ban of the restraint tactic, the district attorney’s office said.
Officer Omar Habib – who had been on the job since 2007 – was fired from the ranks after a jury convicted him of wrapping his arms around an arrested man’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness, on July 28, 2023, according to authorities and prosecutors.
He was found guilty of second-degree strangulation – a violent felony that could land him in prison for 7 years – in addition to third-degree assault and unlawful methods of restraint, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office.
Omar Habib was convicted by a grand jury of wrapping his arms around an arrested man’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness, on July 28, 2023 in The Bronx, according to authorities and prosecutors.This marks the first time an NYPD cop was convicted under the third charge — a misdemeanor that falls under New York City Statute 10-181, making chokehold use by police officers illegal.
The reform was sparked by George Floyd’s police-involved death in Minneapolis in 2020.
Habib and other officers were attempting to arrest Lord Nymaah, who got into a fight at an Eastchester Road catering hall party and began punching the bathroom mirrors, Assistant District Attorney Michael Naughton said at trial, according to Gothamist.
Nymaah was “drunk and disorderly and refused to be placed under arrest,” Bronx prosecutors said.
Habib, who was assigned to the 47th Precinct, then allegedly placed Nymaah “in a chokehold so tightly, it impeded the man’s breathing and circulation, resulting in his temporary loss of consciousness,” prosecutors said.
The officer’s defense attorney, Jacob Weinstein, argued that evidence does not indicate Nymaah lost consciousness because of Habib’s actions, Gothamist reported.
And if that was the case, the officer never intended that outcome, according to the attorney – who contended his client “did exactly what he should have done” during the tense ordeal.
Following the incident, Habib was reassigned to the PSA 5 Viper unit, overseeing surveillance footage in NYCHA complexes, online records show.
But as of Wednesday, he was officially dismissed from the department, the NYPD confirmed.
“Immediately following the incident, members of the Internal Affairs Bureau responded, initiated an investigation, and referred the incident to the Bronx District Attorney’s Office,” the department said. “Upon criminal conviction of a felony, a uniformed member of the service will vacate their civil service title and be terminated as a matter of law.”
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, blasted the decision.
“This verdict is just further proof of a grim reality: every second police officers spend on this job puts them at risk of criminal prosecution, and pervasive anti-police propaganda has made it incredibly difficult to receive a fair trial based on nothing but the facts and the law,” the union head said in a statement.
“While this police officer chose to retain his own counsel from the outset of the case, we will continue to support him as he appeals this decision.”
Habib – who was initially indicted in the case in September of 2024 – was ordered held on Rikers Island until his next court date on September 10, for defense motions.
