'I'm not a bad guy': A distraught George Floyd says in newly released footage
Story highlights
The footage has been released by two Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's arrest.
Body-camera footage made public on Wednesday shows a scared George Floyd pleading with the officers in the minutes before his death, saying "I'm not a bad guy!" as they tried to wrestle him into a squad car.
The footage has been released by two Minneapolis police officers involved in Floyd's arrest.
"I'm not that kind of a guy," Floyd says as he struggles against the officers. "I just had Covid, man, I don't want to go back to that."
An onlooker pleads with Floyd to stop struggling, saying, "You can't win!" Floyd replies, "I don't want to win!"
A few minutes later, with Floyd now facedown on the street, the cameras record his fading voice, still occasionally saying, "I can't breathe" before he goes still.
Transcripts of the footage were also released earlier.
The recordings from Officers Thomas Lane and J. Kueng are part of the criminal case against them and two other officers in Floyd's May 25 death.
Derek Chauvin, who held his knee against Floyd's neck for nearly eight minutes, is charged with second-degree murder. Lane, Kueng and another officer, Tou Thao, are charged with aiding and abetting.
All four officers were fired the day after Floyd died.
Floyd was detained for the minor charge of attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill, and while in handcuffs, two of the officers held him down on the street while Chauvin pressed his knee to Floyd's neck and the fourth officer stood watch.
Floyd's death set off tumultuous protests in Minneapolis that quickly spread around the world and sparked a national reckoning on race -- by the name of Black Lives Matter movement.
In the video, it's shown Floyd's hands are soon handcuffed behind his back as soon as he steps out of his car.
"I think he's passing out," one officer says as they overpower Floyd.
"You guys all right, though?" someone asks. "Yeah - good so far," says one. Another - apparently Lane - says: "My knee might be a little scratched, but I'll survive."
The officers are then seen pondering over Floyd's lifeless state.
(with inputs from agencies)