Police Chief: Chauvin ‘Absolutely’ Violated Use Of Force Policy In Floyd Arrest

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testified in court Monday that former police officer Derek Chauvin “absolutely” violated the department’s use of force policy when he knelt on George Floyd’s neck in May 2020.

Chauvin has been charged with second- and third-degree murder as well as manslaughter in Floyd’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Arradondo took the stand during the sixth day of witness testimony in Chauvin’s trial. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked Arradondo whether he believed Chauvin followed the Minneapolis Police Department’s policy on deescalation tactics. 

“I absolutely do not,” Arradondo said. He added that Chauvin’s actions did not constitute a “defense tactics technique” police officers are trained to use.

Schleicher then asked Arradondo if Chauvin violated the department’s use of force policy regarding “non-deadly” neck restraints.

“I absolutely agree that it violates our policy,” Arradondo said.

Bystander video showed Chauvin and two other officers pinning a handcuffed Floyd facedown on the pavement for nearly 10 minutes as Floyd repeatedly stated that he couldn’t breathe. Chauvin could be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck the entire time, even after Floyd ceased moving and breathing.

Asked when Chauvin should have stopped restraining Floyd so severely, Arradondo said once Floyd had “stopped resisting” and “certainly once he was in distress and trying to verbalize that.”

“There’s an initial reasonableness in trying to just get him under control in the first few seconds,” Arradondo testified. “[T]o continue to apply that level of force to a person proned out, handcuffed behind their back ― that in no way, shape or form is anything that is by policy, is not part of our training and is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.”

Arradondo has been an outspoken critic of Chauvin’s actions. He fired Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest the following day and has called Floyd’s death a “murder.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.