Video footage from the body cameras of two of the former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd captures the initial interaction leading to his fatal arrest. The footage was obtained by the Daily Mail and includes over 18 minutes of footage from Officer Alex Kueng's bodycam and ten minutes from Officer Thomas Lane.

The two officers were the first to arrive after receiving a report that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 at a nearby convenience store. They approach Floyd's blue Mercedes SUV, and Lane knocked on the window with his flashlight.

When Floyd opened the door, Lane immediately drew his gun, ordering Floyd to put both his hands on the steering wheel.

Floyd was startled by the sudden escalation from Lane and apologized to the officers, and begged him not to shoot.

"Please don't shoot me. Please, man," Floyd said. "Please, man. I just lost my mom, man. Please don't shoot me, Mr. Officer, please."

Lane continued to scream at Floyd to put his hands on the wheel and eventually dragged him from the SUV. He was handcuffed and led to a police vehicle but begged the officers not to put him in the back seat.

"I am claustrophobic, for real," Floyd told them. "I'm going to die in here. I'm going to die, man."

Floyd eventually sat down but did not put his feet in the car. The officers struggled with him, trying to get him into the backseat

"I'm claustrophobic. I'm claustrophobic. I got anxiety," he told them. "When I stop breathing, when I stop breathing, it's going to go off on me, man."

Two other officers, Tou Thao and Derek Chauvin, arrived to provide backup. Eventually, Floyd ended up on the ground, while Chauvin placed his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes, leading to Floyd's death.

All four officers were fired following Floyd's death. Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, while the other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Attorney Ben Crump, who represents Floyd's family, issued a statement saying the video proves that Floyd was not a threat and accused the officers of drawing their guns because he was a Black man.

"The police officers approached him with guns drawn, simply because he was a Black man. As this video shows, he never posed any threat. The officers' contradictions continue to build. If not for the videos, the world might never have known about the wrongs committed against George Floyd."

Floyd's death sparked continued protests across the country against police brutality and racism. Some of the demonstrations have turned violent as rioters have clashed with state and federal law enforcement officers.

Photo: Floyd Family

Rachel Elliot

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