BIZARRE TWIST

George Floyd Worked With the Cop Who Knelt on Him: Club Owner

Officer Derek Chauvin worked security at the same Minneapolis club as George Floyd until last year.

In a strange twist to the unfolding story of George Floyd’s arrest and death, a former club owner has revealed Floyd worked with the cop who pinned him down with a knee. Maya Santamaria, who owned Minneapolis’ El Nuevo Rodeo club for 20 years, told local TV station KSTP that police officer Derek Chauvin worked as an off-duty cop at the club for almost 17 years. His shifts overlapped with Floyd, who worked security at the club. “They were working together at the same time, it’s just that Chauvin worked outside and the security guards were inside,” Santamaria said. The pair worked together until the end of last year.

Chauvin was one of four officers who arrested Floyd after a 911 caller reported Floyd possibly used a fake $20 bill and acting “awfully drunk.” Chauvin was later captured by a bystander pressing his knee down on Floyd’s neck for several minutes until the unarmed, handcuffed black man went limp.