New video footage shows the moment George Floyd was pulled from his car by officers during his arrest, moments before he lost consciousness and died after a white officer kneeled on his neck for five minutes during an altercation, sparking outrage and calls for justice in Minneapolis.
Floyd passed out after officers arrested him on Monday for allegedly trying to use forged documents at a local deli. He later died in hospital in an incident which has sparked outrage across the US and prompted thousands to protesters to take to the streets.
From the newly-emerged video footage and CCTV taken during the altercation, Floyd appears to be complying with officers and not resisting the arrest. Police spokesman John Elder alleged in a statement: ‘He was ordered to step out from his car. After he got out, he physically resisted officers.’
New video footage captured the moment Floyd was forcibly removed from his vehicle by two officers from the Minneapolis Police Department and manhandled as he was placed in handcuffs on 38th and Chicago.
The footage, obtained by FOX 9, shows officers wrestling with Floyd as they attempt to place him in handcuffs.
CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant obtained by CBS News shows part of the altercation between Floyd and the officers on the scene.
New video sent to us shows the moment George Floyd was removed from his vehicle and handcuffed on 38th and Chicago.
Video courtesy of Christopher Belfrey pic.twitter.com/MiIIula4sA— Alex Lehnert (@AlexLehnertFox9) May 26, 2020
Floyd is handcuffed in the footage and appears to be complying with the officers as they escort him to the waiting police car.
Moments later the 46-year-old was pinned to the floor by an officer and in disturbing footage can be heard pleading with the cop to stop, saying ‘please, please, I can’t breathe’ and ‘My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Everything hurts.’
Witnesses at the scene urged the officer to stop, with one pointing out that the suspect was not resisting arrest.
Video shows what appears to be the start of the confrontation between #GeorgeFloyd and #Minneapolis #police officers. A restaurant’s security footage shows cops taking him into custody, but the restaurant owner says it does not show Floyd resisting #Arrest pic.twitter.com/LjIerm6BaX
— Sn00pster (@sn00pdad) May 27, 2020
Four members of the Minneapolis Police Department who were involved in Monday’s incident have now been fired, and the FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the man’s death.
Thousands of defiant protesters took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd on Tuesday, and were met with Minneapolis cops in riot gear firing rubber bullets.
Demonstrators carrying placards reading ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Justice 4 Floyd’ surrounded a police precinct Tuesday night after the disturbing video of 46-year-old Floyd begging the cop to stop before falling unconscious was shared online.
The victim’s heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder and their lawyer revealed white cop Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for a staggering eight minutes during the arrest for forgery.
Floyd worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro, a local bistro in Minneapolis. The bar’s owners have described him as a ‘very calm, nice guy’ who was not the type to be ‘aggressive’ or ‘disrespectful’.
The demonstrators demanded the arrest of the four officers but were met with rubber bullets and tear gas fired by masked cops as the city’s streets descended into chaos.
Some had their faces doused in milk to limit the effects of the gas while others ran for cover.
The peaceful event turned ugly as it continued into the night, with footage showing both police and protesters hurling things at each other.
Police in riot gear were pictured forming a barrier around the precinct from around 7.30pm as swarms of people marched on the building, reported CBS Local.
Footage then revealed some protesters sitting on the ground, while officers threw smoke bombs, tear gas and flash grenades into the crowds.
At one point, a car was seen being struck by a tear gas canister as people ran away.
Images showed people who had gathered for the rally desperately fleeing as rubber bullets and tear gas rained down on them.
In one picture, a man was seen holding his hands up in a gesture that started in the ‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ movement in Ferguson in 2014, following the fatal shooting of black 18-year-old Michael Brown by a white police officer.
Others hid behind shopping carts from the Target store nearby.
Shawanda Hill, the girlfriend of George Floyd, was pictured at the rally near the spot where her boyfriend died being comforted by other protesters as she choked back tears of grief.
Source: Daily Mail
