Officer says he asked twice if George Floyd should be moved

ST. PAUL, Minn. – A former Minneapolis police officer charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights testified at his federal trial Monday that officers considered using a type of restraint known as the hobble because Floyd was kicking and had hurt himself in the back seat of a squad car.

But Thomas Lane said it seemed “excessive” because an ambulance was on the way.

Lane is one of the three officers on trial. He said he asked twice if Floyd should be rolled onto his side, and Officer Derek Chauvin told the officers that Floyd would stay where he was.

Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng are charged with violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.