Allowing testimony about the arrest would be a victory for the defense, which plans to argue that Floyd’s drug use contributed to his death.
Lawyers for a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death are renewing requests that the judge allow evidence of a previous arrest during which Floyd was found with drugs and had to be removed from his vehicle, saying it could prove that Floyd shared blame for his death. Defense attorney Eric Nelson said Tuesday that Floyd’s May 2019 arrest — a year before his fatal encounter with officer Derek Chauvin — was remarkably similar: He ignored officers’ commands, put something in his mouth, and had to be physically removed from a vehicle. In that arrest, several opioid pills were found, along with cocaine. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill previously rejected Chauvin’s attempt to tell the jury about the 2019 arrest, but heard fresh arguments Tuesday from both sides. Allowing testimony about the arrest would be a victory for the defense, which plans to argue that Floyd’s drug use contributed to his death. An autopsy showed Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system. Cahill said he would rule on the request Wednesday morning at the earliest. Floyd, a Black man, was declared dead on May 25 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against his neck for about nine minutes. Floyd’s death sparked sometimes violent protests in Minneapolis and beyond and led to a national reckoning on racial justice. Chauvin is charged with murder and manslaughter.
