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- The DOJ has constructed a case of police brutality against Derek Chauvin, reports the Star Tribune.
- Authorities are said to have planned to arrest Chauvin in court if he was not convicted of murder.
- This case is still ongoing and charges are expected shortly, according to the report.
- See more stories on the Insider business page.
Justice officials were planning to arrest Derek Chauvin at the courthouse and charge him with civil rights violations if he was found not guilty of George Floyd’s murder or if the trial had been canceled. Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Andy Mannix reported Wednesday.
According to the report, federal prosecutors spent months building a police brutality case against Chauvin and the three other former Minneapolis cops accused of Floyd’s death.
In an effort not to influence the outcome of the murder trial, the DOJ delayed the grand jury indictment, but had a plan in place in case Chauvin was acquitted in the murder case, according to the Star Tribune. .
Protesters hold signs honoring George Floyd outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 28, 2021.
Kerem Yucel / AFP via Getty Images
Sources familiar with the talks told the Star Tribune that the DOJ’s original plan was to arrest Chauvin at the courthouse if he is acquitted or a quashed trial is called off, and to charge him with police brutality violations. federal.
The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office would indict Chauvin by criminal complaint, so authorities could arrest him immediately and then seek an indictment by a grand jury afterwards, the Star Tribune reported.
But that particular plan was never realized, as a jury found Chauvin guilty of second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death last Tuesday. Chauvin faces up to 40 years in prison on the most serious charge, second degree murder, and his sentencing is expected in June.
Federal prosecutors are still pursuing the case, but plan to do so by first obtaining an indictment from a grand jury, the Star Tribune reported, citing a source. The DOJ assembled a federal grand jury in February, the New York Times reported at the time.
The source said indictments against Chauvin and the three other officers present for Floyd’s fatal arrest – J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – were expected shortly.
The DOJ is separately opening a civilian investigation into the practices of the Minneapolis Police Department, Attorney General Merrick Garland said last week.
The Justice Department declined to comment when contacted by Insider on Thursday. The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
The three other officers present during the arrest of George Floyd, from left to right: J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
According to the Star Tribune, federal prosecutors were planning to indict Chauvin for Floyd’s death and the violent arrest of a 14-year-old boy in 2017. ABC News previously reported that the DOJ was considering charges for the 2017 arrest. .
This incident was described in court documents by prosecutors in the Floyd murder case, who wanted to use it as evidence of possible Chauvin’s behavior.
In a court file, prosecutors said Chauvin hit a black teenager on the head with a flashlight and placed him in a prone position for 17 minutes, the Star Tribune reported. ABC News reported, also citing court documents, that Chauvin ignored complaints that the teenager couldn’t breathe.
The Star Tribune reported that the other three officers would only be charged in connection with Floyd’s fatal arrest.
Kueng, Lane and Thao are also to be tried together in August for aiding and abetting second degree murder.
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