[Zhang Fei]

So if they suspected a medical condition like a heart attack, why the knee on the neck then?

He might have been faking. Note that the deceased is a felon who was involved in a home invasion and held a gun against a woman’s head. I don't know if he was gentle, but he was definitely a giant. Here's a picture of the guy:

My estimate is 250 lbs. In that area, that squad of police was basically a Fort Apache on wheels, watching for people to take a potshot. The knee on the neck is right out of the MPD manual. In hairy areas, the idea is to keep the hands free to return fire from the man’s friends or ward off attacks from random ferals angry that a black criminal is being hassled.

In Minneapolis, kneeling on a suspect’s neck is allowed under the department’s use-of-force policy for officers who have received training in how to compress a neck without applying direct pressure to the airway. It is considered a “non-deadly force option,” according to the department’s policy handbook.

[LostInBayport]

I did not know that was a police procedure. Thanks for explaining that and why it is done.

I am still troubled by the fact that they did it after suspecting a medical issue was in play, for eight minutes, during the last of which he was unresponsive. It gives the sense of callous disregard for the person.

[skinndogNN]

This article says 6 feet tall, I’ve read elsewhere he was 6’7”.

[for-q-clinton]

I didn’t know that about the proper use of force...

good to know.

[HollyB]

It goes on to say that this maneuver must stop as soon as the suspect asks for help. Why did you leave that out?