Derek Chauvin Told Witness George Floyd Was "Probably On Something"

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Witness Charles McMillian testifies during Derek Chauvin's trial for the murder of George Floyd.

Today marks day 3 of Derek Chauvin's murder trial for the death of George Floyd. Over the past two days, bystanders and witnesses took the stand including a young child and an 18-year-old girl, as well as an MMA fighter and a firefighter who both attempted to intervene as Chauvin's knee pushed into Floyd's neck. 

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61-year-old Charles McMillian was an onlooker at the time of Floyd's death and was heard trying to tell him to comply with police orders, saying, "You can't win." McMillian's also on the side telling the cops that they need to take their knee off of Floyd's neck. 

Moments after the death of George Floyd, McMillian was spotted on CCTV camera and police bodycam speaking to Chauvin as he was getting into his squad car. The bodycam footage was shown in court, revealing that McMillian did approach Chauvin after Floyd's death to tell him that he didn't respect what he did. 

"That's one person's opinion," Chauvin said as he got into his squad car. "We had to control this guy because he's a sizable guy. It looks like he's probably on something."

The most powerful moment during McMillian's testimony arrived as he broke down into tears on the stand watching the playback of the gruesome video. "I feel helpless. I don’t have a Momma either. I understand him. My mom died June 25th," McMillian said as he recalled Floyd's plea for his mom. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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