Expert testifies that Derek Chauvin never took knee off George Floyd's neck

very much. Good morning, Sergeant Stagger. Good morning. This Is that what you've defined as the end of the restraint period? Yes. And can you please describe to the jury what you see here, relative to the defendants? Leg position? Yes. The defendants left me again, is still on Mr Floyd's neck or neck area. And his right knee is, uh, on his back area. And so, based on your review of all of the camera footage, the defendant's body position with respect to that particular force did not change during the entire restraint period. Correct. And you tell the jury, at what point in time, in your opinion, does the restraint itself begin? Based on my review of the body worn video, the restraint started at 2019 and 14 seconds. And when does the restraint period end? I believe it was 2028 43 seconds. And, sir, what is the duration then? Of that time period? The restraint period. Nine minutes and 29 seconds. So here you can see the defendant's right hand grasping the fingers of Mr Floyd's left hand you use in treating him appears to be squeezing. Then you use that term pain compliance. Can you please describe what that means? Yes. So paying compliance is a technique that officers used to get a subject to comply with their commands. Uh, as they comply, then they are rewarded with the reduction of pain. Okay, So is it your testimony, then that the drawing of the fingers down and the risk down towards the handcuffs could induce pain? Yes. Especially because the handcuffs were not double locked. Um, double lock. Meaning that they were not. They could continue to ratchet tighter as, uh, the person moved. Were you able to hear instances of what you recognized to be ratcheting during the review of the body worn cameras? Yes. So the principle of pain compliance fun. To understand your testimony, you would inflict pain for the purpose of having the subject obey your command. Compliance. What if there's no opportunity for compliance? And then at that point, it's just pain. You again observe the entirety of the body worn camera footage. Did you see whether the defendant discontinued the use of this pain compliance technique during the restraint period that you've defined? Yes, I did. And no, he did not

Warning: This video may contain violent and/or disturbing images with strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck — and was bearing down with most of his weight — the entire time the Black man lay facedown with his hands cuffed behind his back, a use-of-force expert testified Wednesday at Chauvin's murder trial.Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution witness, said that based on his review of video evidence, Chauvin's knee was on Floyd's neck from the time officers put Floyd on the ground until paramedics arrived — about 9 1/2 minutes, by prosecutors' reckoning.Prosecutor Steve Schleicher showed jurors a composite image of five photos taken from various videos of the arrest. Stiger went through each photo, saying it appeared that the Minneapolis officer's left knee was on Floyd’s neck or neck area in each one."That particular force did not change during the entire restraint period?" Schleicher asked."Correct," Stiger replied.Stiger also said Chauvin squeezed Floyd's fingers and pulled one of his wrists toward his handcuffs, a technique that uses pain to get someone to comply, but did not appear to let up while Floyd was restrained."Then at that point it’s just pain," Stiger said.In other testimony, Floyd could be heard saying in a police body-camera video of his arrest, "I ate too many drugs," according to the lead Minnesota state investigator on the case, Senior Special Agent James Reyerson.But prosecutor Matthew Frank later said that Floyd actually said, "I ain't do no drugs."Prosecutors stopped and started videos during the testimony from Reyerson, the lead state investigator, in an attempt to show the jury how long Chauvin held his position. Reyerson testified that Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck for two minutes after Floyd stopped talking, and for two minutes after Floyd ceased moving.Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. Floyd, 46, was arrested outside a neighborhood market after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. A panicky-sounding Floyd writhed and claimed to be claustrophobic as police tried to put him in the squad car.Stiger's testimony came a day after Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson sought to point out moments in the video footage when, he said, Chauvin’s knee did not appear to be on Floyd’s neck.Nelson also has suggested that bystanders who were yelling at Chauvin to get off Floyd distracted the officers, who perceived the onlookers as an increasingly hostile crowd. On Tuesday, the defense attorney got some police witnesses to acknowledge that jeering onlookers can make it more difficult for officers to do their duty.But Stiger told Schleicher, "I did not perceive them as being a threat," even though some onlookers were name-calling and using foul language. He added that most of the yelling was due to "their concern for Mr. Floyd."During cross-examination, Nelson noted that dispatchers had described Floyd as between 6 feet and 6-foot-6 and possibly under the influence. Stiger agreed it was reasonable for Chauvin to come to the scene with a heightened sense of awareness.Stiger also agreed with Nelson that an officer’s actions must be viewed from the point of view of a reasonable officer on the scene, not in hindsight.It was Stiger's second day on the stand. On Tuesday, he testified that officers were justified in using force while Floyd was resisting their efforts to put him in a squad car. But once Floyd was on the ground and stopped resisting, officers "should have slowed down or stopped their force as well."Stiger said that after reviewing video of the arrest, "my opinion was that the force was excessive."Several experienced officers, including the police chief himself, have taken the stand as part of an effort by prosecutors to dismantle the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when restrained Floyd last May. According to testimony and records submitted Tuesday, Chauvin took a 40-hour course in 2016 on how to recognize people in crisis — including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use — and how to use de-escalation techniques to calm them down.Sgt. Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of crisis-intervention training, said officers are taught to "slow things down and re-evaluate and reassess."Records show Chauvin also underwent training in the use of force in 2018. Lt. Johnny Mercil, a Minneapolis police use-of-force train, testified that those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life is a cornerstone of departmental policy and that officers must use the least amount of force required to get a suspect to comply.Under cross-examination by Nelson, Mercil testified that officers are trained in some situations to use their knee across a suspect’s back or shoulder and employ their body weight to maintain control.But Mercil added: "We tell officers to stay away from the neck when possible."Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer "did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career," and he has suggested that the illegal drugs in Floyd’s system and his underlying health conditions are what killed him, not Chauvin’s knee.Nelson showed Mercil several images taken from officers’ body-camera videos, asking after each one whether it showed Chauvin’s knee appearing to rest more on Floyd’s back, shoulder or shoulder blades than directly on Floyd’s neck. Mercil often agreed.Nelson acknowledged the images were difficult to make out. They were taken at different moments during Floyd’s arrest, starting about four minutes after he was first pinned to the ground, according to time stamps on the images. Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled at Chauvin sparked protests around the U.S. that descended into violence in some cases.Instead of closing ranks to protect a fellow officer behind what has been dubbed the "blue wall of silence," some of the most experienced members of the Minneapolis force have taken the stand to openly condemn Chauvin’s actions as excessive. ___Webber reported from Fenton, Mich.

MINNEAPOLIS —

Warning: This video may contain violent and/or disturbing images with strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.

Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck — and was bearing down with most of his weight — the entire time the Black man lay facedown with his hands cuffed behind his back, a use-of-force expert testified Wednesday at Chauvin's murder trial.

Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution witness, said that based on his review of video evidence, Chauvin's knee was on Floyd's neck from the time officers put Floyd on the ground until paramedics arrived — about 9 1/2 minutes, by prosecutors' reckoning.

Prosecutor Steve Schleicher showed jurors a composite image of five photos taken from various videos of the arrest. Stiger went through each photo, saying it appeared that the Minneapolis officer's left knee was on Floyd’s neck or neck area in each one.

"That particular force did not change during the entire restraint period?" Schleicher asked.

"Correct," Stiger replied.

Stiger also said Chauvin squeezed Floyd's fingers and pulled one of his wrists toward his handcuffs, a technique that uses pain to get someone to comply, but did not appear to let up while Floyd was restrained.

"Then at that point it’s just pain," Stiger said.

In other testimony, Floyd could be heard saying in a police body-camera video of his arrest, "I ate too many drugs," according to the lead Minnesota state investigator on the case, Senior Special Agent James Reyerson.

But prosecutor Matthew Frank later said that Floyd actually said, "I ain't do no drugs."

Prosecutors stopped and started videos during the testimony from Reyerson, the lead state investigator, in an attempt to show the jury how long Chauvin held his position. Reyerson testified that Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s neck for two minutes after Floyd stopped talking, and for two minutes after Floyd ceased moving.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. Floyd, 46, was arrested outside a neighborhood market after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. A panicky-sounding Floyd writhed and claimed to be claustrophobic as police tried to put him in the squad car.

Stiger's testimony came a day after Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson sought to point out moments in the video footage when, he said, Chauvin’s knee did not appear to be on Floyd’s neck.

Nelson also has suggested that bystanders who were yelling at Chauvin to get off Floyd distracted the officers, who perceived the onlookers as an increasingly hostile crowd. On Tuesday, the defense attorney got some police witnesses to acknowledge that jeering onlookers can make it more difficult for officers to do their duty.

But Stiger told Schleicher, "I did not perceive them as being a threat," even though some onlookers were name-calling and using foul language. He added that most of the yelling was due to "their concern for Mr. Floyd."

During cross-examination, Nelson noted that dispatchers had described Floyd as between 6 feet and 6-foot-6 and possibly under the influence. Stiger agreed it was reasonable for Chauvin to come to the scene with a heightened sense of awareness.

Stiger also agreed with Nelson that an officer’s actions must be viewed from the point of view of a reasonable officer on the scene, not in hindsight.

It was Stiger's second day on the stand. On Tuesday, he testified that officers were justified in using force while Floyd was resisting their efforts to put him in a squad car. But once Floyd was on the ground and stopped resisting, officers "should have slowed down or stopped their force as well."

Stiger said that after reviewing video of the arrest, "my opinion was that the force was excessive."

Several experienced officers, including the police chief himself, have taken the stand as part of an effort by prosecutors to dismantle the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when restrained Floyd last May.

According to testimony and records submitted Tuesday, Chauvin took a 40-hour course in 2016 on how to recognize people in crisis — including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use — and how to use de-escalation techniques to calm them down.

Sgt. Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of crisis-intervention training, said officers are taught to "slow things down and re-evaluate and reassess."

Records show Chauvin also underwent training in the use of force in 2018. Lt. Johnny Mercil, a Minneapolis police use-of-force train, testified that those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life is a cornerstone of departmental policy and that officers must use the least amount of force required to get a suspect to comply.

Under cross-examination by Nelson, Mercil testified that officers are trained in some situations to use their knee across a suspect’s back or shoulder and employ their body weight to maintain control.

But Mercil added: "We tell officers to stay away from the neck when possible."

Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer "did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career," and he has suggested that the illegal drugs in Floyd’s system and his underlying health conditions are what killed him, not Chauvin’s knee.

Nelson showed Mercil several images taken from officers’ body-camera videos, asking after each one whether it showed Chauvin’s knee appearing to rest more on Floyd’s back, shoulder or shoulder blades than directly on Floyd’s neck. Mercil often agreed.

Nelson acknowledged the images were difficult to make out. They were taken at different moments during Floyd’s arrest, starting about four minutes after he was first pinned to the ground, according to time stamps on the images.

Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled at Chauvin sparked protests around the U.S. that descended into violence in some cases.

Instead of closing ranks to protect a fellow officer behind what has been dubbed the "blue wall of silence," some of the most experienced members of the Minneapolis force have taken the stand to openly condemn Chauvin’s actions as excessive.

___

Webber reported from Fenton, Mich.

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