For one day only, the George Floyd body camera footage was made available to view by appointment only at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. No recording allowed and no electronics allowed. The court gave individuals one hour to watch the videos from Officer Lane and Officer Kueng– each video was each about 30 minutes. There was a total of six one-hour viewing sessions, each allocated with 11 slots with 11 laptops available. Individuals were required to bring their own headphones and to wear a mask.
The following has been complied together from extensive, detailed notes I took while viewing these quite revealing videos. In brief, there is over a 10-minute period of struggle before Floyd was placed onto the ground. From the onset, George Floyd presented himself distraught, panicked, and erratic, making it difficult for officers to apprehend him; from the moment he is approached by officers, Floyd is non-compliant – from refusing to show his hands, stepping out of his vehicle, to refusing to get into the squad car. Consistently throughout the footage, a panicked Floyd struggles to comply with basic commands such as standing up.
THE FOLLOWING DETAILS HAVE BEEN DERIVED FROM DETAILED NOTES. I’VE CHOSEN TO BOLD IN PLACE OF NOTED TIMESTAMPS RELEVANT TO THE BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE TO HELP PRESENT A BETTER REPRESENTATION OF TIME.
The first minute shows Officer Lane and Keung arriving on scene, entering Cup Foods. The manager approaches them with a $20 bill in his hand, pointing outside and indicates a blue vehicle to them. The officers cross the street toward the vehicle.
Officer Lane approaches Floyd in the driver’s side he says, “They’re moving around a lot” – he taps on Floyd’s window – Floyd jumps and spins around – he opens his door only partway:
Officer Lane asks to see his hands 4 times before he withdraws his gun, “Let’s see your hands… let me see your other hand…”
Several more times, a frustrated Lane repeats to see his hands and swears – still Floyd struggles to show his hands.
Lane then asks him to put his hands on the wheel, Floyd fails – Lane nudges him on his shoulder to the wheel with his free hand. Floyd leans out slightly of the car, “I got shot before!”
Two more times Lane asks Floyd to put his hands on the wheel – and finally Floyd puts his hands on the wheel, “I got shot. I got shot – yes, sir!” Floyd states he has been shot by officers before and is apologetic.
Lane, “Ok, well when I say let me see your hands, you put your f*cking hands up.”
Almost a minute in, Floyd starts to cry and places his hands on his head. Officer Lane slowly grabs onto one of Floyd’s hands and then asks him to step out of the vehicle.
Floyd still does not comply.
“Step out of the vehicle and face away!” Officer Lane states several times while Floyd cries remained in his seat, “Please, officer, please.”
For approximately half a minute, Floyd continues to cry and not cooperate – Officer Lane finally pulls him out of the car. A woman is heard in the background, “Stop resisting!”
Officer Lane struggles to place handcuffs on Floyd as he stumbles out the vehicle, telling him to “stop moving!” Floyd is told to “face the door” and “stop resisting, man!” as officer Kueng joins to assists Lane in trying to handcuff Floyd – this struggle takes nearly a minute.
Floyd is finally cuffed, but then he falls to his knees, still crying, and he says repeatedly, “Please, please man…” as officers tell Floyd to “stand up” numerous times.
As Floyd keeps falling to his knees with difficulty standing upright, officers struggle to walk Floyd away from his vehicle. Officer Kueng says, “C’mon walk with me – walk with me. Walk with me! Stand up! Stand up!” all while Floyd cries and drags his feet.
“C’mon… we’re trying to get out of the street so you don’t get hit by a car.” Officer Kueng says breathlessly.
After nearly 3 minutes since being approached, Floyd is told to take a seat and he slides down against a building, “Thank you, man” and he sits down on the sidewalk. Floyd continues to cry as Officer Kueng asks Floyd his name and information. As he takes notes, this is also when Floyd is informed why is being arrested.
Meanwhile, Officer Lane is questioning a bystander named Shawanda Hill who happens to know George. He asks Shawanda why Floyd is acting “squirrely” and if he was “on something or drunk”.
Now about four minutes into it all, Officer Kueng asks Floyd, “Do you wanna’ know why we pulled you out of the car? Cuz’ you was not listening to anything we told you!”
Floyd sobs, “I didn’t know what was going on!”
Kueng shoots back, “You listen to us and we will tell you what’s going on, alright? When you’re moving around like that, that makes us think there’s way more going on than we need to know!”
After about another 30 seconds, Officer Kueng helps Floyd get up. Floyd is still twisting his arms back and Kueng says, “And look it, you’re still reaching to your side. You’re making me nervous.”
As Floyd is escorted slowly towards the squad car, Floyd suddenly starts wincing in pain,
“Ow, ouch, ouch…!” An officer asks, “Are you on something right now? Because you’re acting real erratic.” Floyd says, “I’m scared man.”
Keung is also heard stating to Floyd, “You got foam around your mouth too!?”
Floyd, “Yeah, man!”
Floyd is told to stop “moving around” as the officers struggle to assist him toward the squad car – his feet drag, almost limping, and he struggles to stay upright.
Nearly 6 minutes have passed. When they reach the squad car, Floyd suddenly again falls to his knees, crying.
“Stop falling down!” an frustrated officer is heard saying – all the officers try to hold Floyd up under his elbows.
Floyd cries, “I’m claustrophobic. Please man!” Floyd continues to say this a few more times and keeps pleading.
Officer Lane is assertive and calm, but frustrated, “Stand up! Stay on your feet and face the car door!”
“Man you ain’t listening to nothing we’re saying!” an officer (possibly Keung) says as Floyd continues to writhe his body up about against the squad.
It’s now almost seven minutes since officers approached Floyd in his vehicle and have been struggling with him to cooperate while apprehended.
“I’m claustrophobic!” Floyd cries again – he pulls his body away from officers and the squad car – the officers still struggle to hold onto Floyd.
“I hear you, but you’re going to face the door!”, Keung fights as he pushes back.
“I’m not that kind of guy!” Floyd continues to cry and twist his body.
Floyd continues to shout and is told numerous times to “sit still” but he continues to resist as officers frisk and search him. One officer pulls out a pipe.
Now about eight minutes in, the squad door is finally opened.
An officer orders again to Floyd, “Stand up straight.”
Floyd begs, “Please stay with me, man” and an officer says reassuringly, “I will.”
Floyd sobs to officers that he just had COVID and again, is claustrophobic. An officer reassures him he will roll the windows down and put the AC on for him too.
Yet, Floyd still slumps over, and frustrated, an officer says, “Why are you having trouble walking!?”
The officers manage to get him slightly to the edge of the car seat, but Floyd hangs forward and refuses to go in further – he is told to take a seat multiple times.
Floyd: “I’m going in!”
Officer: “No, you’re not!”
This continues for a few more minutes as Floyd shouts more erratically with multiple officers struggling to get Floyd into the squad – other officers have now gone to the other side of the car in attempt to pull him in.
We are now 10 minutes into it all; Floyd is finally pushed completely inside by officers but thrashes around the backseat, continuing to shout…
Officer Lane: “Take a seat! Sit!”
Floyd yells more: “Ahhhhh!… I can’t breathe!”
Floyd kicks his feet and pushes his way out to the other side of the car where officers had struggled to pull him in through the other side. Floyd has managed to stick out the other door of the squad into the street while officers try to wrestle him back inside.
A bystander, older black gentleman, shouts to Floyd, “Boy, you’re going to have a heart attack! Get in the car!”
Eleven minutes in now:
Floyd is hanging out of the squad, his head almost to the ground as officers struggle with him. Floyd breathlessly shouts and again says, “I can’t breathe!” and then “I want on the ground!”
After about another 15 seconds, officers finally lay him on the ground in the street as Floyd continues to shout, writhing about on the ground. One officer says, “Jesus Christ!”
Another yells, “Stop moving!”
Officers hold Floyd to the ground and tell him to “relax” but fail in their efforts to calm him – however, they have finally successful restrained him.
An officer is heard asking, rather exasperated, “What are you on?!” and stating “he’s gotta’ be on something…” He continues to guess PCP, asks the other officers if they found anything else with the pipe and mentions how Floyd’s eyes were “shaking”.
For about the next 10 minutes, it plays out as what the rest of the world has only seen and known from the infamous cellphone footage.
The body camera footage is not public and no other announcements have been made to make it public. The original transcripts released are filled with too many errors to fact check currently, as noted by many other journalists and individuals who viewed the footage.
