Chauvin pleads not guilty to violating teen’s civil rights

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was previously convicted of murdering George Floyd, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to violating a Black teen’s civil rights in 2017. 

The teenager’s case is separate from Floyd’s but accuses Chauvin of using a similar restraint method, according to The Associated Press. Specifically, the indictment alleges Chauvin hit the then-14-year-old boy with a flashlight and knelt on his neck and upper back while the boy was handcuffed and not resisting arrest. 

The police report from 2017 says Chauvin accused the boy of resisting arrest. The victim required two stitches and was bleeding from the ear after the incident, the AP said.

Chauvin, who is currently in a maximum security prison, appeared for the hearing via video conference on Thursday and pleaded not guilty. 

On Tuesday, Chauvin and three other former officers — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — were arraigned and pleaded not guilty to civil rights violations in connection to Floyd’s murder. 

Chauvin was convicted of state charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter earlier this year for Floyd’s death. He was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.