US: Officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck arrested

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The officer who knelt on the neck of an unarmed black man for minutes-on-end during a fatal arrest has been arrested on Friday, four days after George Floyd's death.

Officer Derek Chauvin was taken into custody by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said during a brief news conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Harrington would not say where Chauvin was taken into custody, but said additional details will be issued in a news release.

Floyd, 46, was arrested Monday in Minneapolis, Minnesota after reportedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill at a local store.

Video footage on Facebook showed him handcuffed and cooperating.

But police claim he resisted arrest. One of the officers kneeled on his neck, despite Floyd’s repeated pleas of "I can't breathe."

Shortly after, Floyd appeared to lose consciousness, but the officer maintained his position on the victim.

He died shortly after being taken to a hospital.

Four officers have been fired over the killing, which sparked mass protests and an outcry against police brutality.

Floyd's family said they want the officers to be charged with murder.

Floyd's death has strong parallels to that of Eric Garner, who died during a fatal 2014 arrest in New York, repeatedly pleading with officers, "I can't breathe."

The phrase became a rallying point for protesters demonstrating against the killings of unarmed black men and women by police. It has continued to resonate nearly six years later.