A former Minneapolis police officer has testified that he tried to help George Floyd several times, but was repeatedly blocked by his senior officer Derek Chauvin, ABC News reports.
Ex-officer Thomas Lane was present on May 25, 2020, when Floyd was violently arrested and murdered by Chauvin, who suspected him to have used a counterfeit $20 bill.
Lane is the third former police officer to testify over charges of violating Floyd's civil rights. He and his former colleagues, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, are charged with using their status as police officers to deprive Floyd of his rights. Prosecutors argue they neglected Floyd's medical needs by not preventing Chauvin from kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes, an action that eventually killed him.
Lane, 38, spoke in his own defense at U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota. In an emotional testimony, he told jurors that he was a rookie police officer at the time under the eye of field training officer Chauvin.
Describing the events that led to Floyd's death, Lane said that he and Keung attempted to arrest the suspect, but that when a struggle broke out Chauvin stepped in and took the reigns, making the decision to place Floyd prone on the pavement.
According to Lane, Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd's neck while he and Keung held his legs down. The former officer went on to testify that he suggested rolling Floyd onto his side to help his breathing, but that Chauvin told him: "Nope, we're good like this."
He added that when he made the suggestion a second time, Chauvin "deflected" him.
Lane also claimed that he tried to check Floyd's ankle for a pulse, and that he asked Keung if he could feel a heartbeat. Meanwhile, he told jurors that when paramedics arrived on the scene he volunteered to assist them because he thought Floyd "didn't look so good."
Lane, Keung, and Thao have pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them. If convicted, they face the maximum sentence of life in prison.
Chauvin has already been convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to over 22 years in prison.