On Wednesday, Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, pled guilty to a federal charge of violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
Floyd’s arrest and death, which was captured on video by a bystander, sparked nationwide protests.
According to the federal complaint, Chauvin violated Floyd’s rights by shackling him and squatting on his neck. With the guilty plea, Chauvin avoids a trial but possibly lengthens the time he is already serving in prison for a state conviction, Yahoo News reports.
Chauvin was convicted of state murder and manslaughter charges this spring for placing his knee on Anthony Floyd’s neck during an arrest on May 25, 2020. Floyd complained he couldn’t breathe while being detained and died shortly after the incident.
Chauvin was sentenced to twenty-two-and-a-half years in prison for murder.
Three other former policemen were charged with federal crimes alongside Chauvin earlier this year, and their trials are set to begin in early 2022. The three officers are accused of depriving Floyd of his rights while working under government authority.
Chauvin also agreed to plead guilty to breaching the rights of a then-14-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest. In that incident, Chauvin was accused of grabbing the child’s throat, punching him in the head with a flashlight, and putting his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed, and not resisting, ABC News reported.
