Minneapolis police chief says Chauvin violated policy while arresting George Floyd
Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo briefs the press, as jury selection continues in the trial of a former police officer Derek Chauvin, who is facing murder charges in the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, March 22, 2021
The police chief of Minneapolis testified at Derek Chauvin’s murder trialon Monday.Chief Medaria Arradondo said that Chauvin violated police department rules and ethics on respecting the “sanctity of life” while arresting George Floyd last May.
Chauvin, a former white police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man for over nine minutes, killing him. A bystander filmed the incident, causing uproar on social media and triggering a series of global protests against racism.
"It's not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics and our values," said Chief Medaria Arradondo.
Arradondo testified for over 3.5 hours, and attempted to refute the claims by defence that Chauvin was merely acting out based on the training he had received in the force. Chauvin has pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter charges.
It is highly unusual for a police chief to testify against their former subordinates. Soon after the incident, Chauvin was fired by Arradondo, along with other officers involved in the incident.
Last year, the chief put out a statement calling it murder - "This was murder — it wasn't a lack of training."
"I vehemently disagree that that was appropriate use of force for that situation on May 25," Arradondo testified.
"It's contrary to our training to indefinitely place your knee on a prone, handcuffed individual for an indefinite period of time," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)