OFFICER Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck and was bearing down with most of his weight the entire time Floyd lay face down with his hands cuffed behind his back, a use-of-force expert said at Chauvin’s murder trial.
Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution witness, said that based on his review of video evidence, Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck from the time officers put Floyd on the ground until paramedics arrived, more than 9 minutes, by prosecutors’ reckoning.
Prosecutor Steve Schleicher showed jurors a composite image of five photos taken from various videos of the arrest.
Stiger went through each photo, saying it appeared that the Minneapolis officer’s left knee was on Floyd’s neck or neck area in each one. He then confirmed that “particular force” did not change during the restrain period.
His evidence came a day after Chauvin’s lawyer, Eric Nelson, sought to point out moments in the footage when, he said, Chauvin’s knee did not appear to be on Floyd’s neck.
Nelson has also suggested that bystanders who were yelling at Chauvin to get off Floyd distracted the officers.
On Tuesday, the defence lawyer got police witnesses to acknowledge jeering onlookers can make it more difficult for officers to do their duty.
But Stiger told Schleicher: “I did not perceive them as being a threat”, even though some onlookers were name-calling and using foul language. He added that most of the yelling was due to “their concern for Mr Floyd”.
It was Stiger’s second day in the witness box. On Tuesday, he said officers were justified in using force while Floyd was resisting their efforts to put him in a squad car.
But once Floyd was on the ground and stopped resisting, officers “should have slowed down or stopped their force as well”.
Stiger said that after reviewing video of the arrest, “my opinion was that the force was excessive”.
Several experienced officers, including the police chief himself, have given evidence as part of an effort by prosecutors to dismantle the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when he restrained Floyd last May.
Chauvin also took a 40-hour course in 2016 on how to recognise people in crisis, including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use, and how to use de-escalation techniques to calm them down.
Sergeant Ker Yang, the official in charge of the training, said officers are taught to “slow things down and re-evaluate and reassess”.
Records show Chauvin also underwent training in the use of force in 2018. Lieutenant Johnny Mercil, a police use-of-force trainer, gave evidence that those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life is a cornerstone of departmental policy and officers must use the least amount of force required to get a suspect to comply.
Under cross-examination by Nelson, Mercil said officers are trained in some situations to use their knee across a suspect’s back or shoulder and employ their body weight to maintain control. But Mercil added: “We tell officers to stay away from the neck when possible.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here