A friend who was in George Floyd’s car during Floyd’s arrest and death at the hands of Minnesota police reportedly told authorities that Floyd didn’t resist arrest.
Lester Hall, 42, told The New York Times that Floyd, 46, asked Minneapolis police why he was being arrested and tried in his “humblest form” to show them that he wasn’t resisting arrest. Hall reportedly is a key witness in the state’s case against the four officers charged in Floyd’s death — Derek Chauvin, 44, Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34.
The four officers arrested Floyd amid allegations that he used a counterfeit bill at Cup Foods. Officers reportedly pulled Floyd from his car before they were filmed struggling with Floyd in the back of the police cruiser.
After Floyd was removed from the car and forced to the ground, Chauvin was filmed forcing his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes before Floyd lost consciousness and died.
Hall, who reportedly spent most of the Memorial Day with Floyd, allegedly gave investigators a fake name at the scene of Floyd’s arrest. The Times reported that Hall hitchhiked to Houston, Texas, after attending a memorial for Floyd.
Hall was reportedly arrested Monday in Houston on outstanding warrants for his arrest on felony possession of a firearm, felony domestic assault, and felony drug possession. Following his arrest, a Minnesota state investigator questioned Hall for hours about Floyd’s death. The Times reported that he was then transferred to Harris County jail — where he remained until Tuesday as lawyers fought for his release.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reportedly claimed they arrested Hall because they believed he wasn’t cooperating with their ongoing investigation. However, Hall said he stopped taking phone calls for a couple of days as he processed Floyd’s death and what he witnessed.
“I knew what was happening, that they were coming. It was inevitable,” Hall told The Times, referring to his arrest. “I’m a key witness to the cops murdering George Floyd, and they want to know my side. Whatever I’ve been through, it’s all over with now. It’s not about me.”
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Attorney General added a second-degree murder charge against Chauvin. Reports indicated that he still faces the original charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence. Prosecutors also announced Wednesday that Lane, Kueng, and Thao would be charged with aiding or abetting second-degree murder.
All four Minneapolis police officers were fired after footage of Floyd’s arrest and death went viral.
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[Featured image: George Floyd/Facebook]
