George Floyd: Minneapolis police chief says Chauvin violated policy
The police chief of Minneapolis has testified that ex-officer Derek Chauvin violated the agency’s policy on force during the arrest of George Floyd. Chief Medaria Arradondo said the way Mr Chauvin restrained Mr Floyd was not in line with training and “certainly not part of our ethics and our values”. The chief had fired Mr Chauvin and the three other officers involved days after Mr Floyd’s death last May. Mr Chauvin is on trial for murder and has denied the charges against him. Footage of Mr Chauvin, who is white, kneeling on African-American Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes last year sparked global protests against racism.Monday marks the sixth day in Mr Chauvin’s trial, which is expected to last for at least one month.
In court, Mr Arradondo described the training police officers receive regarding use of force on suspects who are being uncooperative. “Once Mr Floyd had stopped resisting and certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalise that, that should have stopped,” he said referring the restraint officers applied during the arrest.
He said the type of restraint Mr Chauvin, 45, was using came “once there was no longer any resistance and clearly after Mr Floyd was no longer responsive – and even motionless”. (BBC)…[+]