Family members of the man who died last Thursday after New York police officers allegedly put him in a choke hold met with officials from the U.S. attorney's office on Friday to demand a federal investigation into the incident.

In a video recorded by a bystander and obtained by the Daily News, Eric Garner is seen in a verbal confrontation with two plainclothes officers from the New York Police Department who accused him of selling untaxed cigarettes. Eventually, one officer appeared to put Garner in a choke hold and slam his face into the ground, while he can be heard screaming "I can't breathe." Authorities say that the asthmatic Staten Island man died from a heart attack about an hour after his arrest.

On Friday, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Garner's family members held a 30 minute private meeting with officials from the civil rights division of the U.S. attorney's office. Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, his wife, Esaw Garner, and his daughter, Erika Garner, were all present.

According to Sharpton, the leaked video is proof that Garner's civil rights were violated.

"The EMS workers and the other police did nothing intentionally to stop the illegal use of a chokehold," Sharpton said after the meeting with federal prosecutors, according to CBS New York.

The Patrol Guide strictly forbids NYPD officers from using a choke hold to restrain suspects.

So far, the NYPD officer seen putting Garner in a choke hold, Daniel Pantaleo, has been stripped of his gun and badge and has been placed on "modified assignment" pending the investigation. Another cop has been placed on desk duty, while four EMTs from the Richmond University Medical Center were suspended without pay pending the investigation.

On Wednesday, family, friends and community members gathered at a local park in Staten Island and marched to the precinct chanting "I can't breathe," reports the Associated Press.

"I'm overwhelmed and thankful for everyone who is outraged just like we are," said Garner's sister, Ellisha Flagg, according to Huffington Post. She added that her brother came from a "great family" and was raised to respect law enforcement. "He allowed them to take his breath and didn't fight back."

The head of the NAACP's local branch, Ed Josey, described Garner's death as a "modern-day lynching," according to the Staten Island Advance.

According to the New York Daily News, he was a married father of six and a grandfather. Relatives described the 350-pound, 6-foot-3 man as a "gentle giant" and a "big teddy bear," reports the Staten Island Live.

"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."

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