3 ex-officers charged in Floyd death ask to delay state trial in light of federal case
[Photo: Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. From left: Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao.]
(KSTP) – Friday, the attorneys for three former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd submitted a request to postpone a March state trial in light of a federal civil rights trial this month.
The attorneys for former officers J Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao submitted the request to Judge Peter Cahill to postpone the March trial because the federal trial is set to begin Jan. 20, "and it is not known how long that trial will last."
A federal grand jury indicted Kueng, Lane and Thao in May last year for allegedly depriving Floyd of his rights while acting under government authority on May 25, 2020, as Floyd, 46, was held face-down, handcuffed and not resisting in a restraint that was captured on bystander video.
The attorneys say the former officers have also requested the court hold a scheduling meeting to discuss a potential new state trial date as well as to discuss any other litigation deadlines.