A retired Los Angeles police captain who testified that officers didn't use excessive force when they beat Rodney King in 1991 is expected to be called as a defense expert witness in the killing of George Floyd.
Attorney Earl Gray, who is representing former Minneapolis officer Thomas Lane, filed notice Thursday that he plans to call Greg Meyer as a use-of-force expert witness at his client's Aug. 23 trial.
Meyer is also an expert on police training, intervention, detention and arrests, said Gray's filing, which included Meyer's 37-page resume.
Gray did not return a message seeking comment. Meyer declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday. He lives in the LA area.
Meyer testified at a federal civil trial in the King case that came after the state's criminal trial against the four officers charged with beating King.
Los Angeles police officers had tried to stop King, who was unarmed, for speeding and tased and beat him with batons following a high-speed chase. Bystander video of the incident was seen around the world, stirring concerns about race and policing. King was Black.
In 1992, jurors in the state's criminal case acquitted the officers, leading to several days of riots in L.A. Smaller riots occurred in other U.S. cities.
The use of outside experts by both defense attorneys and prosecutors is common practice in trials. Retired officers are regularly called to testify about use-of-force, training and policies in officer-involved shooting cases.
Lane and his former colleagues J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao are each charged with aiding and abetting murder and manslaughter in Floyd's May 25 death, and will be tried together.
Former officer Derek Chauvin is charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the case and will be tried on March 8.
Kueng's attorney, Thomas Plunkett, also filed notice Thursday that he planned to call retired Missouri police officer Steve Ijames as an expert witness.
Ijames testified for the defense in the 2020 trial of Washington County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Krook.
Benjamin Evans, 23, had been drinking and was suicidal when Krook and other officers encountered him kneeling in the street with a gun in his hand in 2108.
Krook shot Evans without warning as a colleague was continuing his 39-minute negotiations with Evans.
Krook was eventually acquitted of second-degree manslaughter.
Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708
Twitter: @ChaoStrib
Article From & Read More ( L.A. police captain who testified in Rodney King case will serve as expert witness in George Floyd trial - Minneapolis Star Tribune )https://ift.tt/2LxAunD
Case
No comments:
Post a Comment