The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chauvin pleads not guilty to alleged civil rights violation
The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd pleaded not guilty Thursday to allegedly violating the civil rights of a teenager in a separate case that involved a restraint similar to the one used on Floyd.
Derek Chauvin was convicted earlier this year on state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death. He was sentenced to 22½ years. He’s also charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s civil rights when he knelt on the Black man’s neck for about 9½ minutes as Floyd was facedown on the pavement, not resisting and pleading for air.
But another indictment against Chauvin alleges he carried out a similar act against a then-14year-old boy in 2017. This indictment alleges Chauvin deprived the teenager, who is Black, of his right to be free of unreasonable force when he held the teen by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.
When U.S. Magistrate Judge Hildy Bowbeer asked how he would plead to the charge, Chauvin replied, “Not guilty, your honor.”
Thursday’s hearing was held via videoconference, and Chauvin appeared from the state’s maximum security prison, where he’s being held following his murder conviction. He was in a large room and wearing a plain T-shirt as he sat at the head of a long table. No one was visible in the room with him, but a man was seen behind a windowpane over Chauvin’s shoulder. He had some paper on the table in front of him and appeared to take notes.
Thursday’s hearing also addressed some pretrial motions.
According to a police report from the 2017 encounter, Chauvin wrote that the teen resisted arrest and after the teen, whom he described as 6 feet 2 and about 240 pounds, was handcuffed, Chauvin “used body weight to pin” him to the floor. The boy was bleeding from the ear and needed two stitches.
That encounter was one of several mentioned in state court filings that prosecutors said showed Chauvin had used neck or head and upper body restraints seven times prior to Floyd’s death dating back to 2014.