A New York man died Thursday after police officers put him in a chokehold as he was recorded on video repeatedly telling the cops, "I can't breathe."

The man was identified as 43-year-old Eric Garner of Staten Island, a married father of six and a grandfather, the New York Daily News reported. Relatives described the 400-pound, 6-foot-4 man as a "gentle giant" and a "big teddy bear." However, New York Police Department officers accused him of selling untaxed cigarettes, the Staten Island Live reported.

In a video a bystander took and the Daily News obtained, Garner is seen arguing with plainclothes officers on a sidewalk about whether or not he should be arrested.

"Leave me alone," he told the two NYPD officers, adding "I didn't do nothing" and "I was minding my business."

"Every time you see me, you want to harass me, you want to stop me. I'm tired of it. It stops today!," said Garner, who had been arrested about 30 times before, according to a law enforcement official.

The cops arrested him, but Garner refused to put his hands behind his back and asked one officer not to touch him. That's when two other officers moved in to help detain him.

One officer put Garner, who was asthmatic, in a chokehold before slamming his head on the ground.

During that time, Garner could be heard screaming, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe!"

Officials say he died of a heart attack.

"They jumped him and they were choking him. He was foaming at the mouth," 22-year-old witness Ramsey Orta told the Daily News. "And that's it, he was done. The cops were saying, 'No, he's OK, he's OK.' He wasn't OK."

Another witness told the Staten Island Live that Garner was "absolutely not selling cigarettes."

The NYPD released a statement on the incident, saying Garner "took a fighting stance" and "absolutely resisted arrest."

According to the Patrol Guide, NYPD officers are not allowed to use chokeholds to restrain suspects.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a statement Friday, saying, "We are harnessing all resources available to the city to ensure a full and thorough investigation of the circumstances of this tragic incident."

Watch raw video of the incident here.