Former Minneapolis Cops Charged With Violating George Floyd’s Civil Rights Plead Not Guilty
The former Minneapolis police officers facing charges of violating George Floyd’s civil rights during his arrest in 2020, have pleaded not guilty.
Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane were arraigned before US District Magistrate Judge Tony N. Leung on federal civil rights charges via a video chat when they entered their pleas.
Murderer Derek Chauvin appeared from a room in the state’s maximum-security prison, where he is serving a 22 1/2-year sentence for George’s death.
As we reported, attorneys for the other officers have requested separate trials from Chauvin believing that they will be unfairly prejudiced if they went to trial alongside him.
Per USA Today, “The officers are accused of violating a federal law that forbids government officials from abusing their authority, and prosecutors must prove they willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights. Kueng and Thao, who saw Chauvin pinning Floyd to the ground, were charged with failing to intervene. All four were charged with failing to provide medical aid to Floyd.”
If convicted, the men could face up to 10 years in jail and multiple fines.
