Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says Derek Chauvin's motive was to 'exert authority' 


‘He put ego before policing’: Minnesota AG Keith Ellison says Derek Chauvin’s motive for killing George Floyd was to ‘exert authority’

  • Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gave an interview to CBS 60 Minutes
  • He said the only motive his office could see in Chauvin was exertion of authority
  • He said Chauvin wanted to prove to the crowd and Floyd that they had no control over him 
  • Ellison took four days to arrest and charge Chauvin last May after the killing 
  • He took another several days to charge the three other cops involved 
  • Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday of second degree murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter 

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Derek Chauvin put ‘ego before policing’ when he killed George Floyd and that his only motive was to ‘exert authority’. 

Ellison gave the comments in an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes that will air on Sunday night. CBS This Morning showed a clip of the interview on Thursday.  

Asked what Chauvin’s motive was, he said: ‘That’s a question we spent a lot of time asking ourselves. all we could come up with was what we could define from his body language and his demeanor. 

‘What we saw was the crowd was demanding that he get up, and he was staring right back at them defiantly. 

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Derek Chauvin put 'ego before policing' when he killed George Floyd and that his only motive was to 'exert authority'. His full interview will air on CBS on Sunday night

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Derek Chauvin put 'ego before policing' when he killed George Floyd and that his only motive was to 'exert authority'. His full interview will air on CBS on Sunday night

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said Derek Chauvin put ‘ego before policing’ when he killed George Floyd and that his only motive was to ‘exert authority’. His full interview will air on CBS on Sunday night

“You don’t tell me what to do. I do what I want to do. 

‘You people have no control over me. I’m going to show you.” 

Ellison added that Floyd 'freaked out' because he was claustrophobic and afraid of the cops which made them angrier

Ellison added that Floyd ‘freaked out’ because he was claustrophobic and afraid of the cops which made them angrier 

He added that he thinks because Floyd, who was claustrophobic and scared of the officers, did not quietly obey them, the cops felt further need to come down on him. 

‘I also think that George Floyd was treated that way because he was suffering from anxiety and claustrophobia. 

‘He cooperated with the police in every way until they tried to make him, take his 6ft 4 body and jam it into a very tight space in that car. 

‘He kind of freaked out. 

‘The fact is, I wouldn’t call what he did resisting – I would call it not complying because he was having an emotional reaction to getting in that car.

‘Even when he ended up on the other side of the car he said thank you to them. 

‘What happened is, “we do exactly what we tell you to do when we tell you to do it, no excuses.” 

J.A. Kueng is pictured

Thomas Lane is pictured

J.A. Kueng is pictured left and Thomas Lane, right, have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder. They are yet to see their day in court

‘And it’s really an exertion of authority rather than trying to say look, the job of police officer is to deal with people who are not having their best day.’ 

Chauvin was convicted on Tuesday of second degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Tou Thao is pictured

Tou Thao has also been charged 

He was arrested and charged four days after a video of him kneeling on Floyd’s neck went viral last year and triggered riots across the country. 

It took another several days for his office to charge the other three cops who were there and did nothing to intervene while the crowd screamed at Chauvin to get off Floyd’s neck. 

Chauvin, 45, was whisked to the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights on Tuesday and placed on suicide watch after a jury handed down its guilty verdict.

The disgraced former Minneapolis cop will be held in solitary confinement in what’s known as a ‘Super Seg’ single prison cell for the next eight weeks until his sentencing, where he faces up to 40 years.

He is only allowed out of the cell for one hour each day for exercise. 

All meals are delivered to his cell, which is monitored by cameras and checked on by guards every 30 minutes.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections (MDC) said Chauvin is under ‘administrative segregation’ to ensure his safety, not just as a suicide risk, but also from other inmates with violent criminal histories, many of whom resent law enforcement.

Chauvin is shown being led away from court in handcuffs. He is now in a maximum security prison awaiting sentencing

Chauvin is shown being led away from court in handcuffs. He is now in a maximum security prison awaiting sentencing

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