Feds plan to indict Chauvin, other three ex-officers on civil rights charges

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Andy Mannix
@AndrewMannix
BREAKING: Feds will ask grand jury to indict Derek Chauvin, three other ex-Minneapolis officers, on federal civil rights charges for police brutality--meaning another round of trials could be on the way.

Feds plan to indict Chauvin, other three ex-officers on civil rights charges
Justice Department officials discussed arresting Chauvin in the courthouse if he were found not guilty, according to sources.
startribune.com
5:45 PM · Apr 28, 2021

https://www.startribune.com/feds-plan-to-indict-chauvin-other-three-ex-officers-on-civil-rights-charges/600051374/

Leading up to Derek Chauvin's murder trial, Justice Department officials had spent months gathering evidence to indict the ex-Minneapolis police officer on federal police brutality charges, but they feared the publicity frenzy could disrupt the state's case.

So they came up with a contingency plan: If Chauvin were found not guilty on all counts or the case ended in a mistrial, they would arrest him at the courthouse, according to sources familiar with the planning discussions.

The backup plan would not be necessary. On April 20, the jury found Chauvin guilty on all three murder and manslaughter counts, sending him to the state's most secure lockdown facility to await sentencing, and avoiding the riots many feared could engulf the city once again.

Now, with Chauvin's state trial out of the way, federal prosecutors are moving forward with their case. They plan to ask a grand jury to indict Chauvin and the other three ex-officers involved in George Floyd's killing — J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao — on charges of civil rights violations, a source said.

If the grand jury voted to indict, the former officers would face the new civil rights charges on top of the state's cases, meaning all four could be headed toward yet another criminal trial in federal court.

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