Minneapolis police lieutenant says Derek Chauvin’s kneeling restraint was not an authorized use of force

On Tuesday, Derek Chauvin’s murder trial began its seventh day (April 6).  

Lt. Johnny Mercil of the Minneapolis Police Department, who is a use-of-force instructor and educated Chauvin on defensive tactics in 2018, was one of the witnesses.  

Mercil said during his testimony that Chauvin’s kneeling on George Floyd’s neck when he was face down and handcuffed was not an authorized use of force.  

Will this be permitted if the subject was restrained and handcuffed?  

Mercil was questioned by prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher.  

He replied, “I would say no.”  

Mercil added that if a suspect is no longer resisting, officers in Minneapolis are taught to sit them up or place them in a “recovery position on their side.”  

When the handcuffs are behind their backs, and they’re on their stomach, there’s a chance and danger that some people will have trouble breathing, he said.  

A possible scenario where they may be exposed to positional asphyxiation can be avoided by rolling the handcuffed prisoner onto their side or sitting them up, he added.  

“I would say the quicker, the better,” Mercil said when asked how easily an officer could have a suspect on their side.  

During his testimony on Friday, Lt. Richard Zimmerman, the chief of the Minneapolis Police Department’s homicide unit, made similar claims (April 2).   

You need to get them out of the prone position as soon as possible because it limits their breathing, Zimmerman said once a suspect has stopped resisting.  

As Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, he was in the prone position.  

“Once a person is handcuffed, they must be turned on their side or forced to sit up.  

Zimmerman said, “You need to get them off their chest.”  

“When you’re handcuffed, your muscles pull back, and if you’re lying on your stomach, your breathing is even more restricted.”  

After Mercil’s testimony, the court adjourned for lunch. It would reconvene at 1:30 p.m. local time.  

In Floyd’s death, Chauvin is accused of second-and third-degree murder, as well as second-degree manslaughter.