Chauvin focus on Floyd’s ’19 bust

Defense lawyers at the murder trial of ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin launched their case Tuesday by focusing on another arrest of George Floyd, one year before his death.

Police body-camera footage played for jurors showed cops approaching Floyd during a traffic stop on May 6, 2019 — after which he allegedly told paramedics he had taken “multiple” drugs.

The video shows then-cop Scott Creighton approaching the passenger’s side and repeatedly ordering Floyd to step out.

“Don’t shoot me, man,” Floyd is heard saying. “I don’t want to get shot.”

On the stand Tuesday, Creighton said Floyd “was incoherent, in my mind.”

The controversial footage was introduced to show jurors how Floyd reacted after ingesting opioids during the earlier arrest — in line with the defense’s assertion that he died as a result of poor health and drug abuse.

Defense lawyers had argued in pretrial hearings that Floyd’s conduct during the 2019 arrest was similar to his behavior during his fatal encounter with police on May 25, 2020.

Prosecutors repeatedly played footage of the fatal encounter through 11 days of testimony and presented both medical and use-of-force experts who said Floyd died as a result of Chauvin’s knee compressing his neck.

Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lawyer, has based his case on three arguments: that Floyd died as a result of drug use and a heart condition, that the ex-cop’s use of force was appropriate and that a crowd of angry bystanders at the time of Floyd’s death posed a threat and distracted Chauvin from aiding the suspect.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with second-degree murder, thirddegree murder and second-degree manslaughter.