Tag: Thomas Lane

Appeals court hears case of 3 ex-cops charged in Floyd death

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — Attorneys for the state and for three former Minneapolis police officers charged in George Floyd ’s death appeared before the Minnesota Court of Appeals on Thursday as prosecutors sought to add an additional charge to the case.

Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao are scheduled to face trial next March on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and manslaughter. Prosecutors want to add an additional count of aiding and abetting third-degree murder.

The three-judge panel has 90 days to rule. Based on an appeals court decision in February and a related ruling in the case of former officer Derek Chauvin that found the February ruling was binding, the judges could rule in favor of the state and send the case back to the lower court to add the charge. Continue reading.

Video: Weeks before pinning George Floyd, three of the same officers roughly detained the wrong man

The video from May 3, 2020, bears striking similarities to footage showing three of the same officers — Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — aggressively detaining Floyd. 

Three weeks before he planted his knee on George Floyd’s neck, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin responded to a report of a woman being held hostage by armed men in a South Side apartment.

Along with officers Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Luis Realivasquez, Chauvin marched into the building as a Black man named Adrian Drakeford walked out. Drake­ford was carrying an object the officers later said they thought to be a knife. Without a word, they tackled him to the ground outside the apartment building.

His brother Lee Drakeford started recording with his cellphone as he and Adrian’s girlfriend, Kamaria Layton, pleaded that the officers were making a mistake. Continue reading.

Bodycam video shows officer pulled gun on George Floyd early on

Video from body cameras worn by two of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd was viewed by the public for the first time.

Body-worn camera footage from former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane showed that George Floyd was given no explanation for why he was being questioned before Lane pointed a gun and swore at him, touched him multiple times and forced him out of his vehicle into the street.

The court made footage captured by Lane and fellow fired officer J. Alexander Kueng publicly viewable Wednesday by appointment. Sixty-six spaces were made available at one-hour increments to watch the videos that totaled about 65 minutes.

Lane and Kueng, along with onetime colleague Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death while he was under arrest on May 25 at E. 38th Street and S. Chicago Avenue. Another fired officer, Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-murder and second-degree manslaughter. Continue reading.

Minnesota charges three more former officers in George Floyd case

Axios logoMinnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday elevated charges against the former officer seen kneeling on George Floyd’s neck to second-degree murder, and also charged the three other former officers who were present with aiding and abetting murder, according to court documents.

Why it matters: Members of Floyd’s family and protesters across the country have demanded charges against all four officers on scene during his death.

  • Derek Chauvin, the former officer seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, was originally charged last week with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
  • The three other former officers charged on Wednesday are Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng. Continue reading.