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On Thursday, July 21, former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison over the violation of George Floyd's civil rights. On May 25, 2020, Lane assisted former officer Derek Chauvin, who murdered Floyd and has been convicted of the same.
At the time, Lane and another former officer J. Alexander Kueng, helped Chauvin in restraining Floyd. Meanwhile, former officer Tou Thao prevented bystanders from interfering with the alleged arrest of Floyd, during which the latter died from asphyxiation.
Kueng (then 26) and Lane (then 37) had joined the force in August 2019, which made them rookies at the time. According to Star Tribune, on the day George Floyd was murdered, Lane and Kueng were reportedly in field training with Chauvin.
What is known about former Minneapolis cop, Thomas Lane?
According to Insider's exclusive information, prior to his foray into the Minneapolis police force, Thomas Lane worked odd jobs in the service industry. The publication further reported that the 39-year-old had been involved in multiple criminal offenses as well as traffic violations.
Lane reportedly started as a police cadet in 2019, and was officially licensed as an officer of the Minneapolis PD in August of that year. As per Minneapolis state's records, Lane had previously been convicted of around seven criminal charges — all seven of which were related to traffic or parking meter violations.
Minneapolis PD had previously released a file that showcased a record of his employment in the department, but it seems to have been deleted since then.
What was Thomas Lane's sentence for violation of George Floyd's civil rights?
In the sentencing on July 21, Judge Paul Magnuson sentenced Thomas Lane to 30 months (or 2.5 years) in prison. The sentence was a few months more than what was requested by Lane's attorney.
Meanwhile, the prosecutors had asked for a minimum of 5.25 years in prison. According to the allegations, Lane held down George Floyd's legs as the latter was primarily being controlled by Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on the victim's neck for over nine minutes.
However, Thomas Lane's attorney Earl Gray argued that the former officer had urged Chauvin to move Floyd to his side to let him breathe. As per Gray, Lane's suggestion was declined twice by Chauvin. The attorney further claimed that Lane had performed CPR to resuscitate Loyd once the ambulance arrived.
In the sentencing of the trial, Judge Magnuson told Thomas Lane:
"[The] fact that you did not get up and remove Mr. Chauvin when Mr. Floyd became unconscious is a violation of the law."
However, the Judge also mentioned the 145 letters he had received, which supported Lane. Judge Magnuson later told the court that he had never received such responses for a defendant. He further added:
"It speaks loudly to this case."
Meanwhile, one of George Floyd's brothers, Philonise Floyd, told the press outside the courtroom that he expected a longer sentence for Lane. He said:
"I think that it's insulting that he didn't get the maximum amount of time because to me if it was me, and that was accessory to murder, they would've gave me the maximum amount of time…And you're a police officer who was sworn to protect, who took a [sic] oath, and you didn't get the maximum amount of time."
Following the sentencing, Thomas Lane is expected to be incarcerated at the federal prison in Duluth, Minnesota, as per Judge Magnuson's recommendation to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
