Unpopular Opinion: If the guy you're dealing with is clearly in distress.... likely on drugs, and complaining that they can't breath.... they should have gotten him medical attention immediately.
Once Floyd was cuffed and face down on the pavement, there was no need for Chauvin to continue driving his shin across the guy's neck. None. He could have easily controlled Floyd with a knee between his shoulders or in the small of his back.
Floyd likely would have died from ODing anyway. What Chauvin did was, in my opinion, callous bordering on sadistic.
He did control him with a knee to the shoulders. Read the autopsy report. Significant bruising to the shoulders. Zero bruising to the neck. Obviously the video didn't tell the whole story. Minimal pressure was applied to the neck.
they should have gotten him medical attention immediately.
They DID get him medical attention immediately.
You don't think they carry around a fully stocked and manned ambulance in their utility belt, do you? Of course not, they store those elsewhere and call over the radio when they need one delivered - which they did in this case.
They called an ambulance immediately. The reason he was on the floor for 8 minutes instead of being taken for booking is they were waiting for paramedics.
Pretending to be in distress is the oldest trick in the book. As a cop, you have to be cynical. Everyone claims they can't breathe, or the cuffs are too tight, them boom - you give them some slack and suddenly they've grabbed your gun.
The fact he was on drugs was more reason to restrain him. Not less. He was 6'4, 230lbs, and jacked and behaving erratically. If you don't restrain him he could endanger not just others but himself.
The knee on the neck is poor optics, but it's part of the training manual that Chauvin was following. It's a restraint technique, not a compression one. It doesn't prevent you from breathing, and Floyd's autopsy showed zero neck injuries. It looked terrible but was harmless.
Unpopular Opinion: If the guy you're dealing with is clearly in distress.... likely on drugs, and complaining that they can't breath.... they should have gotten him medical attention immediately.
Once Floyd was cuffed and face down on the pavement, there was no need for Chauvin to continue driving his shin across the guy's neck. None. He could have easily controlled Floyd with a knee between his shoulders or in the small of his back.
Floyd likely would have died from ODing anyway. What Chauvin did was, in my opinion, callous bordering on sadistic.
He did control him with a knee to the shoulders. Read the autopsy report. Significant bruising to the shoulders. Zero bruising to the neck. Obviously the video didn't tell the whole story. Minimal pressure was applied to the neck.
They DID get him medical attention immediately.
You don't think they carry around a fully stocked and manned ambulance in their utility belt, do you? Of course not, they store those elsewhere and call over the radio when they need one delivered - which they did in this case.
They called an ambulance immediately. The reason he was on the floor for 8 minutes instead of being taken for booking is they were waiting for paramedics.
Pretending to be in distress is the oldest trick in the book. As a cop, you have to be cynical. Everyone claims they can't breathe, or the cuffs are too tight, them boom - you give them some slack and suddenly they've grabbed your gun.
The fact he was on drugs was more reason to restrain him. Not less. He was 6'4, 230lbs, and jacked and behaving erratically. If you don't restrain him he could endanger not just others but himself.
The knee on the neck is poor optics, but it's part of the training manual that Chauvin was following. It's a restraint technique, not a compression one. It doesn't prevent you from breathing, and Floyd's autopsy showed zero neck injuries. It looked terrible but was harmless.