The 22-year-old bystander who filmed Eric Garner’s fatal arrest was arrested Saturday on a charge of gun possession, Staten Live reports.
The man, Ramsey Orta, and a teenage woman, identified by police as Alba Lekaj, were arrested about 10 p.m. after leaving a hotel in Staten Island, N.Y., the report says.
Suggested Reading
The arrests came after officers from the 120th Precinct Narcotics Unit observed the pair leaving the hotel, which is known for drug activity, a New York Police Department spokeswoman told Staten Island Live. As the officers approached the pair for questioning, they reportedly saw Orta place an object in Lekaj's waistband, the spokeswoman told the news site.
The object was identified as “a loaded .25 caliber handgun that had been reported stolen in Michigan in 2007,” the report says. Officers also found marijuana in Lekaj’s possession, the report says.
They were both charged with criminal possession of a loaded weapon. Lekaj also faces charges for possession of marijuana, police said, according to the news site.
Orta, slated to be arraigned on Monday, rose to fame after his amateur video of Garner’s fatal arrest went viral last month. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday ruled the death a homicide, after Garner was placed in a chokehold by an officer during the arrest. The incident is under investigation by internal affairs investigators and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department is monitoring the investigation.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has been vocal about seeking justice for Garner and his family, was scheduled to address the impact of Orta’s arrest on Garner’s case at a news conference late Sunday, according to a statement.
Read more at Staten Island Live.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.