Ex-Police Officer Tou Thao, Charged For George Floyd's Death, Accused By Prosecutors of 'Shameless' Attempt To Delay Case
May 21 2021, Published 10:37 a.m. ET
Prosecutors are accusing one of the third other police officers charged for George Floyd's death of playing dirty legal games in his criminal case.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, ex-police officer Tou Thao is battling it out with prosecutors as he faces over charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
In the video from the scene, Thao is seen yelling at bystanders who plead with his partner Derek Chauvin to release his knee from Floyd's neck. He refused to step in and take action while Floyd cried out for help.
Thao is currently trying to have the charges against him dismissed. He appears to be throwing anything he can at the wall to see what sticks.
Thao was scheduled to appear in court in August but the judge pushed the date back to March 2022.
In court documents, prosecutors accuse Thao and his legal team of "harassing them" with frivolous filings." They believe his lawyers are "repeatedly attempting to taint the jury pool" along with "divert attention" from his role in Floyd's death.
In court, prosecutors told the judge Thao is running a "desperate smear campaign" against the state.
In one filing, Thao's attorney asked for sanctions against prosecutors accusing them of misconduct. He asked them of having improperly obtained statements from the medical examiner.
His lawyer said, "the testimony of [Hennepin County Medical Examiner] Dr. Baker was directly and indirectly coerced by the State and its agents."
Thao's attorneys have also asked for the state's lawyer to be removed, all charges to be dropped and further sanctions against the prosecutors.
Prosecutors call the motion "another bad-faith attempt by Defendant Thao to debase the State, disqualify members of the prosecution team and divert attention from his role in the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020."
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They told the court Thao's motion was "part of an ongoing pattern by Defendant Thao of submitting requests without any valid legal basis, in order to manipulate the narrative and influence public opinion."
A judge has yet to rule on Thao's motion.
