Minneapolis Police Chief: Chauvin's Actions Were Inappropriate

Witness to Floyd's arrest: A man was being killed 4:02

(CNN) -

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo strongly rejected Derek Chauvin's actions and use of force during George Floyd's arrest last May as contrary to department policies.

"Once Mr. Floyd stopped resisting, and certainly once he was distraught and trying to verbalize that, that should be over," Arradondo testified during Chauvin's criminal trial on Monday.

READ: This is what happened to George Floyd from all perspectives and angles

"There is an initial good sense in trying to keep it under control in the first few seconds," Arradondo said.

“But once there was no resistance and clearly when Mr. Floyd was no longer responding and was not even immobile, continuing to apply that level of force to a person who was outstretched, handcuffed in the back, that in no way or form is something that is the norm.

It is not part of our training, and it is certainly not part of our ethics or our values.

In particular, the chief said that Chauvin kneeling over Floyd for nine minutes and 29 seconds was a violation of policies around de-escalation, the use of objectively reasonable force and the requirement to render assistance.

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"This action is not a de-escalation, and when we talk about the framework of our sanctity of life and when we talk about the principles and values ​​that we have, that action goes against what we are talking about," he said.

Minneapolis policy at the time allowed for some neck restrictions, but what Chauvin did was inappropriate, Arradondo said, looking at a picture of Chauvin's position on Floyd.

“Conscious neck restriction per standard mentions mild to moderate pressure.

When I look at (the image) and when I look at Mr. Floyd's facial expression, it does not appear in any way or shape that is light to moderate pressure.

Also Monday, Police Inspector Katie Blackwell, who was in charge of the department's training program last year, testified that officers are taught to use their arms when holding the neck.

"I don't know what kind of makeshift position this is," he said of Chauvin's kneeling.

"That's not what we train."

Blackwell testified that Chauvin was regularly instructed in defensive tactics and the proper use of force.

Since he trained the agents in the field, Chauvin received additional training.

His testimony is at the center of the defense argument that Chauvin acted following his police training and used an appropriate use of force.

Earlier Monday, the doctor who treated Floyd at a Minneapolis hospital testified that he believed Floyd likely died of suffocation.

The process comes as prosecutors shifted their focus from what happened to Floyd to a more detailed analysis of what it means legally.

The first week of the trial in Minneapolis focused on a step-by-step breakdown of Floyd's last day, including video from a group of cell phones, surveillance cameras and police cameras;

heartbreaking testimonies from passersby who saw Chauvin kneel over Floyd;

descriptions of paramedics and police supervisors who came to the scene;

and Chauvin's own statements about what happened.

With that groundwork in place, the prosecution is attempting to prove that Chauvin's actions that day should be considered murder and manslaughter.

That will require an analysis by medical experts who will explain Floyd's cause of death, as well as testimony from law enforcement experts who will say that Chauvin used excessive and unnecessary force.

Some of that analysis of the use of force has already entered the trial.

Last week, Chauvin's direct supervisor said his use of force should have ended sooner, and the department's chief homicide detective testified that kneeling on Floyd's neck after he was handcuffed was "totally unnecessary."

Chauvin, 45, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter, second degree manslaughter and aggravated manslaughter.

Defense attorney Eric Nelson has not indicated whether Chauvin will testify in his own defense.

Testimony at the trial began last Monday and is expected to last about a month.

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The police chief highlights the importance of de-escalation

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo testifies on April 5.

Arradondo started with the Minneapolis Police Department in 1989 as an officer and rose through the ranks throughout his career.

He said he continues to attend department training every year.

In his testimony, Arradondo described the department's training programs and the core value of treating everyone with "dignity and respect."

He said officers should be familiar with the policies, including de-escalation and the use of force.

"The objective is to resolve the situation in the safest way possible, so there must always be a de-escalation in the layers of these actions of use of force," said the chief.

The use of force must be reasonable for as long as it is applied, Arradondo testified.

"The sanctity of life and the protection of the people will be the cornerstone of the policy of the use of force," Arradondo told the court.

"I firmly believe that the only singular incident for which we will be judged forever will be our use of force."

Floyd's alleged misconduct (he allegedly used a counterfeit $ 20 bill) would likely fall below the level of severity for using force, Arradondo testified.

This type of crime generally does not lead to an arrest because it is neither violent nor a serious crime, he said.

In cross-examination, Arrandondo acknowledged that police officers must take everything into account when using force, including the actions of bystanders.

He also said that an officer using his voice to warn of a possible use of force, for example holding a chemical irritant and warning bystanders not to approach, would be appropriate.

Finally, Arradondo said that an angle from the body camera footage shows that Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's shoulder blade for a few moments after paramedics arrived.

Last year, Arradondo fired Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd's death, which he said was a "murder."

“The tragic death of Mr. George Floyd was not due to a lack of training, the training was there.

Chauvin knew what he was doing, ”Arradondo said in a June 2020 statement.

The doctor says that Floyd probably died of suffocation

The Hennepin County Medical Center doctor who treated Floyd and pronounced him dead last May testified Monday that he believed Floyd likely died of suffocation.

Emergency Physician Dr. Bradford Langenfeld said he treated Floyd for about 30 minutes on May 25, 2020, while hospital staff tried unsuccessfully to restart his heart.

Based on what the paramedics reported and Floyd's medical condition, Langenfeld said that the "most likely possibility" of Floyd's cardiac arrest was hypoxia or lack of oxygen.

"Doctor, is there another name for death from oxygen deficiency?" Asked prosecutor Jerry Blackwell.

"Choking is a commonly understood term," replied Langenfeld.

On questioning, Langenfeld said that hypoxia can be caused by many things, including drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, or a combination of both.

The doctor's testimony is based on the prosecution's argument that Chauvin's kneeling was a substantial cause of Floyd's death.

Chauvin's attorney, however, has argued that Floyd died due to his drug use and other health problems.

Early Monday, Judge Peter Cahill spoke to jurors out of sight of the cameras about an allegation of misconduct by jurors.

He stated that there was no misconduct and that the jurors were credible.

CNN's Ray Sánchez, Brad Parks, and Omar Jiménez contributed to this report.

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