THIS is the terrifying moment a police officer chokes a suspected phone thief to death as onlookers beg him to stop.

The 58-year-old Spanish cop was out for dinner with a friend on Tuesday when the alleged thief stole his phone in northeastern Madrid.

Disturbing footage shows the moment the off-duty cop chased the suspect down the street then slammed him to the ground and held him in a chokehold.

In a desperate attempt to stop him from killing the alleged thief, locals are heard calling: “please let him breathe”.

“You’re going to suffocate the guy, man. Let go of his neck,” one shouts.

Another can be heard saying: “He’s not going to run away. Just let him go.”

Ignoring their pleas, the officer continues to press down on the man’s neck before police and paramedics arrived at the scene.

But despite medics’ attempt at saving him, he was soon pronounced dead after suffering from cardia arrest.

Emergency services confirmed in a statement that a 36-year-old man had died of asphyxiation after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation.

Officers arrested the unnamed cop who appeared in court today.

The tragic event has ignited outrage across Spain, with many drawing parallels to the 2020 death of George Floyd, who lost his life after a police officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for an extended period.

Expressing their shock on social media, someone wrote: “‘I can’t breathe.’ These were the last words spoken by George Floyd moments before he died from asphyxiation at the hands of a New York police officer.”

Another wrote: “Murdering a person for a simple phone. An off-duty municipal police officer suffocates a person.

“This is how the capitalist world is, a telephone is worth more than a person’s life. What a disgusting society!”

Spain’s progressive party Más Madrid has also commented on the situation, describing the assault as indicative of how “institutional racism” and “abuse of power” have become normalized.

A spokesperson said: “Two police officers, who were apparently under the influence of alcohol, have murdered a person in Torrejón. T

“This reflects how institutional racism and abuse of power are normalized, even outside of working hours.

“We demand an immediate investigation into this alleged murder due to asphyxiation caused by a police officer in Torrejón.”

This isn’t the first time a case like this has taken place in Madrid.

In 2018, protests erupted in the city after a Senegalese vendor was shot dead in the Italian city of Florence.

Some 19 protesters and 10 police officers were injured as clashes spread across the city.