'I can't breathe': Officers caught on video applying chokehold to black man while they Taser him

Police in DeKalb County, Illinois were caught on camera using a Taser to shock a black man before putting him in what appeared to be a choke hold.

Video captured by Alyssa Retuerto shows her boyfriend, 25-year-old Elonte Y. McDowell, being pinned to the ground by DeKalb police officers.

“I can’t breathe,” McDowell can be heard saying as the video reveals an officer has his arm around the man's neck.

“Oh my God, what the f*ck are you doing that for?” Retuerto shouts as an officer deploys his Taser on McDowell. “He’s in a f*cking chokehold and you just tased him? For what? For what?”

“He has a pulse, right? Like, you guys can make sure he has a pulse?" she later adds. "’Cause look at his face.”

DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott confirmed in a statement that a Taser had been used by one of the officers.

The Daily Chronicle reported details of the statement:

According to the release, DeKalb police said it was an investigative stop based on intelligence they had received that claims McDowell was transporting “a load of drugs.” When police tried to place McDowell under arrest, he tried to get away, according to the release.

Police said that McDowell later admitted that a bag of marijuana he displayed on Snapchat was his.

He was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, unlawful possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, criminal trespass to property and resisting a police officer.

McDowell could spend up to five years in prison if convicted of the charges.

The officer who was seen with his arm around McDowell's neck has been reassigned to desk duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation, officials said.

Watch the video below.