Chauvin Used Excessive Force Before George Floyd Murder, Lawsuits Allege

Ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for his role in the murder of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis former convict, whom Chauvin kneeled to the ground for about 10 minutes during the arrest, refusing pleas to let him breathe.

Two Minnesota residents have filed federal civil rights lawsuits against former police officer Derek Chauvin, claiming they were "traumatised" by Chauvin kneeling on their necks - a move the ex-cop exercised when George Floyd was killed in police custody in May 2020, the Associated Press reported.

The first lawsuit was filed by John Pope Jr, who claims that in September 2017, when he was 14, Chauvin used excessive force against him when responding to a domestic assault report. The other lawsuit claims that the ex-cop applied extra force to Zoya Code in June 2017, after she allegedly attempted to strangle her mother with an extension cord.

Both plaintiffs say that Chauvin had racist motives, since Pope and Code are black, and the former police officer is white. Criminal charges against the plaintiffs were eventually dropped.

“The incidents involving John Pope and Zoya Code are disturbing,” Interim City Attorney Peter Ginder said in a statement cited by the AP. “We intend to move forward in negotiations with the Plaintiffs on these two matters and hope we can reach a reasonable settlement. If a settlement cannot be reached on one or both lawsuits, the disputes will have to be resolved through the normal course of litigation.”

Last June, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years of prison for murdering George Floyd in May 2020. Floyd had allegedly tried to use fake money in a convenience store. During the arrest, Chauvin kneeled on his neck for around 10 minutes, ignoring Floyd repeating that he could not breathe.

In December 2021, Chauvin pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges over Floyd's death, including the use of excessive force.