Thomas Lane, ex-police officer who restrained George Floyd, reaches plea deal
State recommends 3-year prison sentence; 2 other ex-officers face trial next month
A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
As part of the plea deal, Thomas Lane will have a count of aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder dismissed.
The state is recommending a sentence of three years for Lane and has agreed to allow him to serve the time in a federal prison.
Lane, along with J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, was scheduled to go to trial in June on state charges.
The trio was convicted earlier this year on federal counts of willfully violating Floyd's rights during the May 2020 restraint that led to the Black man's death.
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison reacts:
Thomas Lane has pled guilty to 2nd-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. My thoughts are once again with the victims, George Floyd and his family. Floyd should still be with us. But I am pleased Thomas Lane has accepted responsibility for his role in Floyd’s death.
—@AGEllisonTheir former colleague, Derek Chauvin, pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights and faces a federal sentence ranging from 20 to 25 years. Chauvin was earlier convicted of state charges of murder and manslaughter and sentenced to 22 ½ years in the state case.
Federal sentences yet to be handed down
Floyd, 46, died May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, pinned him to the ground with a knee on his neck, as the Black man repeatedly said he couldn't breathe. Lane and Kueng helped to restrain Floyd, who was handcuffed. Lane held down Floyd's legs and Kueng knelt on Floyd's back. Thao kept bystanders from intervening during the 9 ½-minute restraint.
Lane was convicted along with Kueng and Thao of federal charges in February, after a month-long trial that focused on the officers' training and the culture of the police department.
All three were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care, and Thao and Kueng were also convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the killing, which was caught on video and sparked protests around the world.
After their federal conviction, there was a question as to whether the state trial would proceed. At an April hearing in state court, prosecutors revealed that they had offered plea deals to all three men, but they were rejected. At the time, Lane's lawyer, Earl Gray, said it was hard for the defence to negotiate when the three still didn't know what their federal sentences would be.
Lane's plea comes during a week when the country is focused on the deaths of 10 Black people in Buffalo, N.Y., at the hands of an 18-year-old white man, who carried out the racist, live streamed shooting on Saturday in a supermarket.