A man who reportedly worked at a nightclub with ex-Minnesota cop Derek Chauvin and the man Chauvin is accused of murdering, George Floyd, said the pair had disagreements due to the officer’s “extremely aggressive” behavior toward minority patrons.
Chauvin, 44, and Floyd, 46, reportedly worked overlapping security shifts at El Nuevo Rodeo, a Minneapolis nightclub, for most of 2019. A coworker of the two men, David Pinney, told CBS that he has “no doubt” Chauvin knew who he arrested on May 25.
“He knew exactly who George was,” Pinney told CBS.
Chauvin reportedly did security detail outside, while Floyd worked security inside the club. Pinney also worked security at the nightclub, according to CBS.
Pinney explained that the manager of the club would give paychecks to employees who worked security on the inside, like Floyd, who would then dole out paychecks to outside staff, like Chauvin.
Pinney and another person reportedly recounted an incident in which Chauvin complained about his pay and blamed Floyd, who had handed him the check.
“But it’s not George’s responsibility of what he receives as pay for moonlighting, that’s the manager’s job,” Pinney stated.
Pinney also told CBS that he once had to kick Chauvin out of the club after Chauvin confronted him about his pay.
While El Nuevo Rodeo’s owner, Maya Santamaria, also alleged that Chauvin was aggressive toward minority patrons, she claimed she had no knowledge of paycheck issues.
For 17 years, the nightclub paid Chauvin, who was off-duty, to sit outside the club in his squad car. Santamaria told CBS News that she didn’t complain to the Minneapolis Police Department about Chauvin because she was afraid she would get a worse cop to do outside security detail.
Chauvin’s facing second-degree murder charges for allegedly killing Floyd while arresting him on May 25.
Minneapolis police officers were filmed arresting Floyd on suspicion that he used a counterfeit bill at Cup Foods. After police pulled Floyd out of his car and handcuffed him, Chauvin forced his knee into Floyd’s neck for eight minutes. Floyd gasped for air and said he couldn’t breathe before he lost consciousness and died.
While Hennepin County’s autopsy report stated that there was no evidence “to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation,” an independent autopsy asserted that sustained forceful pressure on Floyd’s neck and back led to his death.
Chauvin’s also facing charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence in connection with Floyd’s death. The other three arresting officers, Thomas Lane, 37, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Tou Thao, 34, were charged with aiding or abetting second-degree murder.
All four officers were fired in light of Floyd’s death.
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[Featured image: Derek Chauvin/Hennepin County jail; George Floyd/Facebook]
