The counterfeit $20 bill that cost George Floyd his life is now part of the murder case against the ex-Minneapolis cops charged in his\u2026<\/b>
\nThe counterfeit $20 bill that cost George Floyd his life is now part of the murder case against the ex-Minneapolis cops charged in his death, according to court records made public Wednesday.
The lawyer for accused former cop Thomas Lane said the crumpled bills found between the seats of Floyd\u2019s SUV put the officer on alert from the start after Floyd repeatedly reached down and ignored 10 requests to show his hand.
\u201cFrom the initial interaction with Floyd and his vehicle, Lane noticed the driver and passenger in the vehicle digging underneath the seat, as if reaching for something,\u201d defense attorney Earl Gray said in a motion to dismiss charges against Lane which included photos of the bills.
\u201cFloyd had his hands down below the seat, leaning forward,\u201d Gray wrote. \u201cAfter not showing his hands upon command, Lane drew his gun. Floyd moved his hand up quickly and attempted to step out of the vehicle. Once Floyd\u2019s hands were up, Lane put his gun away.\u201d
Gray said that, after the car was searched, two $20 bills and two $1 bills that he saw were counterfeit were found between the seats, \u201cright where Lane saw Floyd put his right hand.\u201d
Photos and transcripts in the court filing paint a fuller picture of the encounter that ended with Floyd\u2019s death on May 25 after police responded to reports of a man attempting to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a local store.
Video of the fatal encounter shows Floyd pinned down by the cops, with ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin pressing his knee against Floyd\u2019s neck for nearly 8 minutes. Floyd is heard repeatedly yelling that he couldn\u2019t breathe.
All four cops were fired the following day. Chauvin, 44, was arrested and is being held on $1.25 million bond on murder charges. Lane and the other two former officers \u2014 Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng \u2014 face aiding and abetting charges and are free on $750 bond.
But Gray said in the new court filing that prosecutors lacked probable cause to charge Lane, and said he had even asked Chauvin to turn Floyd on his side \u2014 putting the blame on Chauvin.
\u201cDuring the encounter with Floyd, Lane was going off Officer Chauvin\u2019s experience and what he was saying, hold him here until EMS arrives,\u201d it said. \u201cLane was aware that Chauvin had 20 years on.\u201d
\u201cLane did not intentionally aid, advise, hire, counsel, or conspire with Chauvin or otherwise procure Chauvin to commit second degree murder,\u201d the filing said. \u201cLane did not encourage any alleged criminal actions of Chauvin.\u201d
Floyd\u2019s death sparked worldwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality.<\/p>\n