Ex-Officer Chauvin Pleads Not Guilty in Police Brutality Case Involving Teen

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pleaded not guilty on Thursday to using excessive force against a Black teenager in 2017, ABC reported.

Chauvin pleaded not guilty to allegations he violated a 14-year-old's civil rights during an encounter in 2017, according to ABC News.

The outlet cited the indictment as alleging that Chauvin had grabbed the teenager's throat, hit him on the head with a flashlight and kneeled on his neck and upper back while he was handcuffed and no longer resisting.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is placed in handcuffs, watched by Hennepin County District Judge Peter Cahill, after a jury found him guilty on all counts in his trial for second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. April 20, 2021 in this courtroom sketch.

© REUTERS / JANE ROSENBERG

The report, citing police department records, said at least 18 complaints were filed against Chauvin during his 19 years of service.

In June, a US court sentenced Chauvin to 22.5 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd in May 2020. The 46-year-old Black man was killed in police custody after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for around 9 minutes.

Floyd's death was caught on video and sparked widespread protests and riots over officer-involved killings of Blacks and systemic racism in the United States