There were threats of massive riots and looting if Derek Chauvin were found not guilty of all charges during his state court trial. Maxine Waters threatened more “confrontation” and municipalities around the country had police and National Guard reinforcements at the ready.The federal Department of Justice had it’s own plans to help lessen potential riots. That plan was to arrest Chauvin on federal charges immediately after a ‘not guilty’ verdict.The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:
Leading up to Derek Chauvin’s murder trial, Justice Department officials had spent months gathering evidence to indict the ex-Minneapolis police officer on federal police brutality charges, but they feared the publicity frenzy could disrupt the state’s case.So they came up with a contingency plan: If Chauvin were found not guilty on all counts or the case ended in a mistrial, they would arrest him at the courthouse, according to sources familiar with the planning discussions….The backup arrest strategy and meticulous planning over the timing of charges illustrates the complicated synchronicity of two parallel investigations into the most high-profile case of police brutality in decades. Over the better part of the last year, as special prosecutor Keith Ellison’s team pursued murder and manslaughter charges, federal authorities have been mounting their own case in private before a grand jury — a group of 23 citizens who meet in secret to hear evidence and ultimately decide if there is probable cause to charge….Under the contingency arrest plan, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office would have charged Chauvin by criminal complaint — a quicker alternative for a federal charge that doesn’t require a grand jury — so they could arrest him immediately, and then asked a grand jury for an indictment, according to sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly.Prosecutors want to indict Chauvin in connection to two cases: for pinning Floyd down by his neck for more than 9 ½ minutes in May 2020, and for the violent arrest of a 14-year-old boy in 2017. In the latter case, Chauvin struck the teen on the head with his flashlight, then grabbed him by the throat and hit him again, according to court documents.The other three ex-officers would be charged only in connection with Floyd’s death.
The federal case will be prosecuted by Justice Department attorneys in Minnesota and Washington, D.C.
The plans never materialized because Chauvin was found guilty, on all three charges.
It is not unusual for the feds to investigate and pursue civil rights charges as back up. It was done in the Michael Brown case, and the feds rejected bringing such charges.
But the planned timing here, to make sure that Chauvin was arrested at the courthouse after a ‘not guilty’ verdict, was driven entirely by fear of riots and looting.
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