The man who filmed the fatal arrest of Eric Garner has been sprung from prison after serving time for weapon and drug charges, according to a report.
Ramsey Orta was released May 28, more than a month shy of when he was set to finish his four-year sentence, Rolling Stone reported.
A Department of Corrections and Community Supervision spokesperson said they had been reviewing candidates for early release amid the coronavirus pandemic, the outlet reported.
Orta — a career criminal with more than two dozen arrests under his belt — had pleaded guilty to charges of peddling heroin in January 2015 and hiding a pistol in a woman’s pants in 2014.
He filed a lawsuit against the city in 2016 claiming that he was arrested as payback for exposing fired NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo’s run-in with Garner.
“Despite the murder of Eric Garner by the NYPD, Ramsey Orta, who filmed the incident, is the only person present at the incident who is going to prison because the NYPD engaged in smear tactics, in cooperation with the news media, and prepared a tactical plan to set him up for retaliatory arrests,” his suit said.