Defense attorneys for former officer Thomas Lane rested Monday, and the prosecution did not call any rebuttal witnesses.
Prosecutors told US District Court Judge Paul Magnuson last week they would need up to two hours for their closing remarks, while defense lawyers for the three men indicated they’d each need between an hour and 90 minutes.
Lane, Kueng and Thao also face a state trial later this year on charges of aiding and abetting in Floyd’s murder. They have pleaded not guilty.
It began with a report of a counterfeit $20 bill
In opening statements, the prosecution alleged the officers committed federal crimes by repeatedly ignoring Floyd’s cries of, “I can’t breathe.” Bystander video shows Floyd, pinned under Chauvin, pleading with officers as he desperately gasps for air before passing out. He was declared dead later that night.
Floyd wouldn’t immediately answer questions, was “very hyperactive” and appeared to have white foam around his mouth, Kueng testified.
“He seemed to snap and started yelling,” Lane said.
Floyd resisted getting into a patrol vehicle, telling officers he was claustrophobic, video from the scene shows. Lane testified he tried to de-escalate the situation by assuring the 46-year-old that he would get into the vehicle with him and roll down the windows.
Floyd’s legs at one point “kind of collapsed without reason,” Kueng said, and “his behavior just went to extreme measures.” Floyd attempted to “launch himself” while fighting the officers trying to place him in the patrol vehicle, Thao testified.
Chauvin informed his colleagues Floyd needed to be taken to the ground, Kueng said, and Thao explained that the intention was to protect him and any bystanders. No one meant to hurt Floyd, Thao said.
Floyd was unarmed and handcuffed when he was pinned to the ground.
Ex-officer snaps at prosecutor on stand
Kueng could not determine how much pressure Chauvin was applying to Floyd’s neck, he testified, but he didn’t think Floyd had stopped breathing.
Lane, who was holding Floyd’s legs, twice asked Chauvin if Floyd should be repositioned, and Chauvin responded, “We’re good,” Lane testified. When Lane expressed concern about Floyd possibly experiencing “excited delirium,” Chauvin told him, “That’s why we got him on his stomach and that’s why the ambulance is coming,” according to Lane’s testimony.
About 5 minutes after Kueng told Lane he could not find a pulse, Lane began administering CPR on Floyd, Lane testified, conceding that CPR should have, ideally, begun immediately after Kueng announced Floyd had no pulse.
It wasn’t until a homicide detective arrived on the scene that Kueng realize Floyd was dead, Kueng testified.
Prosecutors allege Floyd might’ve lived if not for the officers’ decision to ignore his cries.
“Each made a conscious choice over and over again,” Samantha Trepel, special litigation counsel from the US Justice Department’s civil rights division, said in opening statements. “They chose not to intervene and stop Chauvin as he killed a man. They chose not to protect George Floyd, the man they handcuffed.”
CNN’s Bill Kirkos, Brad Parks, Julia Jones and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.
