Police Officer Who Knelt on George Floyd Has Been Arrested

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ The Minneapolis officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe, was arrested Friday.

Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said Friday that state investigators
arrested Derek Chauvin.

Chauvin is the white officer who was seen on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd.

The arrest comes after three days of protests, which escalated in violence as demonstrators torched a police precinct that had been abandoned by officers.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday acknowledged the ``abject failure'' of the response to this week's violent protests. Walz said the state would take over the response and that it's time to show respect and dignity to those who are suffering.

Officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been fired, was arrested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Friday.