Officers charged in George Floyd case said they deferred to senior Chauvin

• Two former officers charged in the George Floyd case claimed that they deferred to their senior officer Derek Chauvin.
• J. Alexander Kueng said that he was taught to defer to his superiors, so he “trusted” his senior officer’s advice.
• Tou Thao also testified that he thought he “would trust a 19-year veteran to figure it out.”

Former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd’s killing took the stand on Wednesday and claimed that they deferred to their senior officer, Derek Chauvin, just as they were trained to do.

J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao were charged with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.

Their defense attorneys argued that the officers received inadequate training and that the Minneapolis Police Department taught cadets unquestioned obedience to their superiors. They added that it was Chauvin who called the shots that day.

On May 25, 2020, Kueng and Lane responded to a 911 call about Floyd using a counterfeit $20 bill at a store.

Kueng said they were struggling with the arrest since Floyd was thrashing around and overpowering them. He then felt “pretty stressed out” by the presence of a field training officer when Chauvin and Thao arrived. He agreed with his attorney, Tom Plunkett, that he has learned to defer to his superiors.

Kueng added that probationary officers can be fired at will — he and Lane were both rookies who were just a few days off of probationary status.

According to Kueng, Lane suggested changing restraints but Chauvin disagreed.

Kueng testified, “He was my senior officer and I trusted his advice.”

Floyd was handcuffed and facedown on the street while Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes. Meanwhile, Kueng knelt on Floyd’s back, Lane held his legs, and Thao held the crowd back.

Kueng said he couldn’t find a pulse on Floyd’s wrist and deferred to Chauvin to check Floyd’s neck for a more accurate pulse and to make the decisions.

Thao made a similar statement when he took the stand for a second day.

During his cross-examination by prosecutor LeeAnn Bell, he acknowledged that he heard Floyd’s pleas as well as bystanders’ concerns. But he said that he was focused on crowd and traffic control while he relied on the other three officers to be in charge of Floyd’s medical needs.

When his attorney, Robert Paule, asked if there was a need to restrain Floyd, Thao replied that they believed Floyd was in an “excited delirium,” a disputed condition in which someone is said to have extraordinary strength.

Thao added that they were waiting for paramedics to arrive.

When asked if he told Chauvin to get off Floyd, Thao responded, “I did not. I think I would trust a 19-year veteran to figure it out.”

Lane is yet to testify.

Lane, Kueng, and Thao, have a separate trial in June for charges of aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter.

In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights charge.

Source: HuffPost