Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao has left jail Friday after posting bail
Thao, 34, was was the third of a trio of cops accused of aiding and abetting second-degree murder on afternoon of May 25 in the death of George Floyd
The former cop who was fired from the Minneapolis Dept after Floyd’s death, was released from Hennepin County jail late Saturday morning
He was being held in lieu of $750,000 before he was freed
His colleague Derek Chauvin, the man who appears in the infamous video kneeling on Floyd’s throat, remains on a bond of $1.25m
Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao, [photo], left Hennepin County jail late on Saturday morning after posting bail
A third Minneapolis cop charged in George Floyd’s death has been released from jail after posting bail.
Former metro police officer Tou Thao, 34, left Hennepin County jail late on Saturday morning, where he was being held in lieu of $750,000 before his release, according to CBS news.
Thao is one of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the police involved killing of George Floyd. A killing that has generated vast ripples on a global scale.
Thao along with two other officers J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas Lane, 37 were fired and arrested after the death of 46-year-old George Floyd during an ill-fated arrest on May 25. Their colleague Sgt. Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes during the blood chilling arrest on May 25.
Officers JA Kueng and Thomas Lane were both earlier released after posting bail on their $750,000 bonds last month.
According to charging documents, officer Thomas Lane held down the Floyd’s legs. Sgt Derek Chauvin is kneeling on Floyd’s neck, while officer J Alexander Kueng held his back
On May 25 Officers Kueng and Lane were the first to respond to the call that a man – later said to be Floyd – had been trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli in Minneapolis.
The pair reportedly discovered a man fitting the description of the suspect sitting in a nearby car. They handcuffed him and attempted to put him inside their squad car. They are then seen walking an apparently agreeable suspect to go sit down on the sidewalk.
Inexplicably, after the arrival of officers Chauvin and Thao, the previously docile suspect was seen handcuffed lying face down on the street with three officers on his torso, including Chauvin who held a non-nonchalant look while kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Thao meanwhile stands staring at the crowd, seeming paying scent attention to the carnage unfolding beside him.
Several witness videos go on to show JA Kueng holding onto the unconscious Floyd’s back while he was lying in the street. Kueng then told the other cops that he ‘couldn’t find’ Floyd’s pulse.
Depraved indifference?’: ‘You’re going to let him kill that man in front of you?’, Tou Thao is asked as he is seen blocking out a growing crowd from stepping in to stop Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck [behind him in photo]). Despite their pleas for help, not once did Thao try to get Chauvin off Floyd’s neck
Defendants in police slaying of George Floyd during an arrest attempt, on May 25 in Minneapolis
Authorities said Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for about two minutes after Kueng’s statement.
According to charging documents, Lane – who initially took Floyd into custody – held down the father-of-five’s legs, while Kueng held his back and Chauvin knelt down on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.
During the arrest, Floyd pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. He was handcuffed at the time. In witness video released last week, a man and a woman are heard urging the officers to check Floyd’s pulse before more bystanders are heard pleading with the officers to help Floyd. ‘You think that’s okay? Check his pulse!’ a man is heard yelling as Thao argued with a woman nearby.
‘The ain’t moved yet bro,’ the man continued. ‘He has not moved not one time!’
The man then asked Thao: ‘You’re going to let him kill that man in front of you?’
The woman then yelled: ‘Tell me what his pulse is right now!’ Another woman is heard asking in the background: ‘Did they just f**king kill him?’
Former officer JA Kueng [left], one of the trio charged with aiding and abetting the killing of George Floyd [photo] died on May 25 under the knee of Derek Chauvin, can be seen here with Floyd as he takes Floyd into custody on May 25
George Floyd died on May 25 under then knee of Officer Derek Chauvin, all off which was extensively caught on Camera. As a crowd gathered, others are heard shouting, ‘Get off of his neck!’ and ‘He’s not moving!’
Despite their pleas for help, not once did Thao try to get Chauvin off Floyd’s neck.
Instead, he continued to argue with the witnesses, yelling for them to remain on the sidewalk and not come any closer.
A short time later, paramedics arrived and lifted Floyd’s lifeless body off the pavement and onto a stretcher.
Police bodycam footage has not been made available to the public yet, because it is being investigated by the FBI.
Police officer Derek Chauvin, [left], presses knee into George Floyd’s neck during arrest: Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd. Bail is set at $1.25 million.
The fired police officers have said that the bodycam footage will ‘prove’ there was a struggle in offering explanation for the perceived excessive force meted out to Floyd.
During a CNN interview, Thomas Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray said that ‘It wasn’t a violent resistance but it wasn’t a kind of non-resistance that an individual should do when police officers are arresting him.
He also noted: ‘He should get out of his vehicle and follow the orders of the police officers. He didn’t do that.’
George was killed during his interaction with officers Chauvin, Thao, Lane and Kueng on May 25. He was laid to rest June 9 in Houston, Texas.
Chauvin and Thao are next due in court on September 11.
Immediately following Floyd’s death, Black Lives Matter protests erupted globally.
While the majority of protests remained peaceful, buildings, businesses and police departments have burned after some demonstrations turned violent in major US cities.
Protesters have not only demanded justice for Floyd, but they’ve called for justice for Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and most recently Rayshard Brooks.
Demonstrators have also marched for Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot dead by a white man in Georgia in February.
Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
As part of his own defense JA Kueng’s attorneys said that he had been working on his third shift as a police officer when the incident occurred.
Lane was freed on June 10 after posting bail. Kueng followed nine days later.
Former officer JA Kueng [left], one of the trio charged with aiding and abetting the killing of George Floyd, can be seen here with Floyd as he takes Floyd into custody on May 25
The man in the infamous shot kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, former Minneapolis police Sergeant Derek Chauvin, remains behind bars.
Fired from the Minneapolis Police Department and arrested after Floyd’s death, Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder before that charge was upgraded to second-degree murder. Chauvin’s bail was set to $1.25million.
The officers appeared in Hennepin County courtroom last week, when their representatives asked for TV cameras to be allowed in the courtroom during the trial – currently set for March 2021.
Chauvin and Thao are next due in court on September 11.
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