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Police were summoned to the location of the alleged
crime, where Mr. Floyd was still present and sitting in
a car. Clearly, there was no attempt on the part of Mr.
Floyd to flee the scene. Floyd was ordered out of the
vehicle by officers Kueng and Lane. Floyd was advised
that he was under arrest and placed in handcuffs. He was
walked across the street to be placed inside an awaiting
police cruiser.
Witnesses say they heard Mr. Floyd tell the officers
that he was not resisting, but that he was claustrophobic
and did not want to be locked inside the back of a police
car. Late to arrive on the scene were training officer, Derek
Chauvin and his partner, Officer Tou Thao.
Chauvin assumed command of the arrest. Things
get a bit sketchy from there. They had already placed
Floyd in the car, but a struggle seemed to ensue. Chauvin
pulled Mr. Floyd across the backseat from the driver’s
side to the passenger side, then out of the vehicle. The
suspect was yanked out of the cruiser, smashing to the
ground with his hands still handcuffed behind his back.

Now, Floyd lay pinned chest down to the pavement
by three (3) of the arresting officers. Officer Kueng was
on his back, applying pressure to his torso. Lane knelt
on, and applied pressure to his legs while Chauvin knelt
on and applied extreme pressure to Floyd’s neck. Officer
Tou Thao stood guard over the officers, keeping the
crowd of concerned onlookers at bay.
Multiple witnesses began to film the encounter
from different angles. Widely circulated videos of the
arrest went viral on the Internet within hours. Across
America and around the world Mr. Floyd can be heard
sixteen (16) times saying, “I can’t breathe.”