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Derek Chauvin could have stopped restraining George Floyd sooner, ex-supervisor says

01 April 2021
Dan Ackermann

Derek Chauvin's former supervisor, retired police Sgt. David Pleoger, testified Thursday that officers could have stopped restraining George Floyd sooner.

The big picture: The testimony capped off the fourth day of the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Chauvin, who faces murder and manslaughter charges.

What they're saying: "Based on your review of the body worn camera footage, do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of Mr. Floyd should have ended in this encounter," a prosecutor asked.

  • "Yes," Pleoger said. "When Mr. Floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended the restraint."
  • The prosecutor then asked if that was when Floyd was handcuffed and on the ground, and Pleoger said, "Correct."

Jurors also heard Chauvin describing the May 2020 incident through a body camera that captured a call between Chauvin and Pleoger. Chauvin told his then-supervisor that Floyd "was going crazy."

  • Pleoger testified he wasn't immediately told that Chauvin had placed his knee on Floyd's neck. When Chauvin told him later that night, Pleoger said the then-officer did not reveal how long his knee had remained on Floyd.

Pleoger also said 9-11 dispatcher Jena Scurry contacted him and said she was concerned about how police officers were handling the situation.

  • He said that he fielded concerns through 911 dispatch about possible excessive use of force by officers, but that his initial assessment at the time was that it was a less serious takedown.
  • Scurry testified earlier this week that she felt a "gut instinct" that "something was not right" as she watched police officers hold Floyd on the ground.

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