“Once Mr. Floyd had stopped resisting, and certainly once he was in distress and tried to verbalize this, it should have stopped,” Arradondo said during Chauvin’s criminal trial.
“There is an initial reasonableness in trying to just subdue it in the first few seconds,” Arradondo said. “But once there was no more resistance and clearly when Mr. Floyd was no longer responsive and even immobile, to continue to apply that level of force to a pronounced person, handcuffed behind their back – this in no way. form nor form It is not part of our training and is certainly not part of our ethics or our values. “
“This action is not a de-escalation, and when we talk about the scope of our sanctity of life and when we talk about the principles and values that we have, this action goes against what we are talking about,” did he declare.
Minneapolis policy at the time allowed some neck restrictions, but what Chauvin did was not appropriate, Arradondo said, looking at a picture of Chauvin’s position on Floyd.
“The conscious policy limitation of the neck mentions light to moderate pressure. When I look at (the picture) and when I look at the expression on Mr. Floyd’s face, it doesn’t show up in any way, shape or form. which is light to moderate pressure. “
Also on Monday, Police Inspector Katie Blackwell, who was in charge of the ministry’s training program last year, testified that officers learn to use their arms when making neck braces.
“I don’t know what kind of improvised position this is,” she said of Chauvin’s kneeling. “It’s not what we train.”
Blackwell testified that Chauvin was regularly briefed on defensive tactics and the proper use of force. Since training officers in the field, Chauvin has received additional training.
Their testimony is central to the defense argument that Chauvin acted as part of his police training and employed appropriate use of force. Earlier Monday, the doctor who treated Floyd at a Minneapolis hospital said he believed Floyd had likely died of asphyxiation.
The proceedings come as prosecutors have focused on what happened to Floyd for further analysis of what that legally means.
With those bases established, the prosecution turns to prove that Chauvin’s actions that day should be considered murder and manslaughter. This will require an analysis by medical experts who will explain the cause of Floyd’s death, as well as expert police testimony who will say that Chauvin used excessive and unnecessary force.
Chauvin, 45, pleaded not guilty to second degree murder, third degree murder and third degree manslaughter. Defense attorney Eric Nelson has not indicated whether Chauvin will testify in his own defense.
Testimony in the trial began last Monday and is expected to last about a month.
Police chief stresses importance of de-escalation
Arradondo started with the Minneapolis Police Department in 1989 as an officer and rose through the ranks during his career. He said he continues to take ministry training every year.
In his testimony, Arradondo described the department’s training programs and the core value of treating everyone with “dignity and respect”. He said officers need to familiarize themselves with policies, including de-escalation and the use of force.
“The aim is to resolve the situation in the safest way possible, so you still want de-escalation to overlap with these use-of-force actions,” the chief said.
The use of force must be reasonable for the duration of its application, Arradondo said.
“The sanctity of life and the protection of the public will be the cornerstone of the use of force policy,” Arradondo told the court. “I firmly believe that the only incident on which we will be judged forever will be our use of force.”
In cross-examination, Arrandondo conceded that officers must take everything into account when using force, including the actions of bystanders. He also said that an officer using his voice to warn of a possible use of force – for example, holding a chemical irritant and warning passers-by not to approach – would be appropriate.
Finally, Arradondo said an angle of the body camera footage shows Chauvin had his knee on Floyd’s scapula for a few moments after paramedics arrived.
“Mr. George Floyd’s tragic death was not due to a lack of training – the training was there. Chauvin knew what he was doing,” Arradondo said in a June 2020 statement.
Doctor says Floyd probably died of asphyxiation
The Hennepin County Medical Center doctor who treated Floyd and pronounced him dead Last May, he said on Monday that he believed Floyd likely died of asphyxiation.
“Doctor, is there another name for death from lack of oxygen?” asked District Attorney Jerry Blackwell.
“Asphyxiation is a commonly understood term,” Langenfeld replied.
In cross-examination, Langenfeld said hypoxia can be caused by many factors, including drugs such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, or a combination of the two.
The doctor’s testimony points to the prosecution’s argument that Chauvin’s kneeling was a major cause of Floyd’s death. Chauvin’s attorney, however, argued that Floyd died due to his drug use and other health issues.
Earlier Monday, Judge Peter Cahill spoke to jurors out of camera view about an allegation of juror misconduct. He ruled that there had been no misconduct and that the jurors were credible.
CNN’s Ray Sanchez, Brad Parks and Omar Jimenez contributed to this report.