Cop used chokehold on suspect resisting arrest, Florida police say. Then he got fired

A Florida police officer went too far when his chokehold caused an uncooperative suspect to “briefly lose consciousness,” according to investigators.

Footage from a body camera shows officer Michael Scaglione also punched the suspect three or four times in the head during the April 12 call, the Tampa Police Department said in a Nov. 5 news release.

Scaglione was officially fired Nov. 5 after the department’s Professional Standards Bureau determined he “applied an unauthorized use of deadly force,” officials said. He has been with the department for eight years.

“Scaglione and another officer responded to a home in the 8000 block of North 10th St. for the report of a domestic battery. ... Officers attempted to gain control of the defendant’s arm; however, he responded by refusing to place his hands behind his back and pulling away,” police said.

“As they fell to the ground during the resist, body-worn camera video shows Scaglione placed the victim in a chokehold, causing the defendant to briefly lose consciousness.”

Chokeholds are prohibited by the department “unless deadly force is justified” and this didn’t qualify as a life-and-death situation, officials said.

Scaglione was also cited for not reporting he used head punches on the suspect, officials said.

His actions violated a series of policies related to conduct standards, resistance responses, “philosophy of enforcement” and “attentiveness to duty,” police said.

“Domestic violence investigations are one of the most dangerous and volatile situations an officer can respond to, and the dynamics can quickly change,” Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw said in the release.

“It is imperative that, even in the heat of the moment, officers must be able to respond according to established policies and training procedures which were developed to ensure the safety of the officers as well as the public. In this case, these standard expectations were not met, and his employment was terminated.”

Investigators did not report any injuries suffered by the suspect during his arrest.