Chauvin pleads not guilty to violating teen’s civil rights

FILE - In this April 15, 2021, file image from video, defense attorney Eric Nelson, left, and defendant, former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin, address Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis. Chauvin, convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd, is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, for allegedly violating the civil rights of a teenager in a separate case that involved a restraint similar to the one used on Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool File)

MINNEAPOLIS — The former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murder in George Floyd’s death has pleaded not guilty to violating a teenager’s civil rights.

The indictment alleges Derek Chauvin deprived the teenager, who is Black, of his rights when held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while the boy was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.

Chauvin was convicted this year on state charges of murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s 2020 death. He serving a sentence of more than 22 years in prison.

He’s also charged in federal court with violating Floyd’s civil rights.

Floyd’s death triggered nationwide protests and a call for police accountability.

On Wednesday, the Justice Department directed federal agencies to avoid using chokeholds or “carotid restraints” unless the use of deadly force has been authorized.

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