Authorities have arrested Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, who, for several minutes, kneeled on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man whose death has sparked nationwide outrage, news outlets reported. Chauvin faces charges of manslaughter and third-degree murder.
Video captured of the incident from a bystander’s cell phone shows Chauvin with his knee weighed down on Floyd’s neck as the man struggles to breath. The policeman keeps kneeling on Floyd for nearly eight minutes.
Officers were looking to arrest Floyd outside a grocery store in the city on Memorial Day after reports of a $20 counterfeit bill being passed.
The 46-year-old man’s death has led to multiple deadly protests in Minneapolis as well as milder demonstrations throughout the United States, from California to Massachusetts.
On Friday, John Harrington, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, announced that Chauvin has been taken into custody in connection to Floyd’s death, CBSN Minnesota reported.
Chauvin has worked with Minneapolis police for 19 years, according to CBSN.
CNN reported that Chauvin had 18 complaints filed against him with the Minneapolis Police Department prior to Floyd’s death on May 25.
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