Derek Chauvin, the man who has become infamous since the death of George Floyd for his detached role in the man's murder, had previously detained an innocent black man a few weeks prior.
Derek Chauvin, now charged with Floyd’s murder, and his fellow officers at the time, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Luis Realivasquez responded to a police call of a man holding a woman hostage on May 3, 2020. Lane and Kueng were present during Floyd's arrest, as well.
When the officers first arrived, they aggressively detained the wrong man, Adrian Drakeford, who was walking out of the building at the time-- they reportedly tackled him to the ground without even saying a word about it.
Although innocent and not charged with a crime, Drakeford and his brother were both arrested.
Keung and Lane, who are charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder for their involvement in Floyd’s death, handcuffed Drakeford while Chauvin looked on at the scene. Video of the arrest is available to view at The Star Tribune here.
In a recent New York Times article, others have come out to share their horrific experiences with Chauvin, dating back years.
Zoya Code told the Times that the officer forced her down and "stayed on her neck" after answering a domestic dispute report at her home. Code’s case was one of six arrests as far back as 2015 that the Minnesota Attorney General’s office sought to introduce, arguing that they showed how Mr. Chauvin has a history of using excessive force when he restrained people — by their necks or by kneeling on top of them — just as he did in arresting Mr. Floyd.
Recently, a judge ruled that Floyd's arrest records and convictions are inadmissible in Chauvin's murder trial. Chauvin has since been charged with second-degree murder and is set to go to trial on March 8th.