The conviction of former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd has drawn mixed reactions from law enforcement officers across the country. While many police departments and associations have responded positively, some officers have also reacted with quiet resentment – and even the fear that they, too, may one day be held accountable for excessive use of force.

This may have also been the case in an altercation caught on video where two police officers in Orange County, California, could be seen stepping in and preventing a fellow officer from continuing to punch a handcuffed woman during an arrest.

In dramatic video from Wednesday captured via mobile phone in Westminster, the handcuffed woman – Ciomara Garcia, 34 – can be seen between two officers sitting on the curb. As one officer stands up, the woman does too before an officer pushes her down to the ground. The woman then attempts to kick the officer in the crotch before the officer begins punching her.

The two other officers then quickly intervene to restrain the officer and shove him away, preventing him from further beating Garcia as neighbors reminded the police in Spanish that they are filming the arrest.

The officers were initially dispatched to the neighborhood by a call over an alleged assault with battery claiming Garcia assaulted an Asian woman who was trying to fetch her dog running loose in the street.

A witness, however, told KTTV that Garcia was walking her dog when a bicyclist approached closely, causing Garcia to fear that her dog would be harmed. An altercation between the residents soon unfolded. Five minutes later, the bicyclist returned with the officers, alleging that Garcia struck her. The witness claims no such attack occurred.

Garcia has been booked into Orange County Jail on a bench warrant, while the officer was promptly placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

One wonders whether some officers are changing tack in their relations with the community, and with the so-called “bad apples” in their own ranks, following Chauvin’s conviction on all counts for the murder of George Floyd.

Meanwhile, the three other former officers who took part in last May’s fatal arrest – Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao – could face serious jail time for aiding and abetting Chauvin in the slaying of the Floyd.

Now that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts of the murder of George Floyd on Tuesday, prosecutors will set about making their case against the three other former officers who took part in the brutal arrest.

Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng, and Tou Thao, all former officers who were fired and arrested days after the killing of Floyd last May, face charges that they aided and abetted the second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter of Floyd, reports Reuters.

The murder of Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, sparked an acute period of unrest and wave of protests against police terror, impunity and racism in the United States.

Aiding and abetting murder can face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, but state sentencing guidelines can reduce the maximum to 15 years.

Then-officers Kueng, 27, and Lane, 38, were the first to arrive at the food store where Floyd allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase cigarettes. The deadly altercation began when Lane commanded Floyd to exit his car. Kueng, a rookie who had just begun as an officer the prior December, stood between Chauvin and Lane during the arrest and kneeled on Floyd’s back with his hand on Floyd’s handcuffed left wrist.

During the encounter, Chauvin, Kueng and Lane each used their weight to restrain Floyd.

During one point, Lane asked, “Should we roll him on his side?” Chauvin replied: “No, staying put where we got him.” Lane responded, “I am worried about excited delirium or whatever,” to which Chauvin said, “That’s why we have him on his stomach.”

When Floyd stopped moving after an excruciating nine minutes and 29 seconds with the officers on his back, and Chauvin on his neck, none of the officers moved their positions – despite pleas from onlookers and a confirmation by Kueng that Floyd had lost his pulse.

Officer Tou Thao arrived after Floyd was handcuffed. While he was the only officer who never physically touched Floyd, he stands accused of standing by during the murder of Floyd by Chauvin.

In the meantime, Thao stood between the gathering onlookers and the violent arrest. When one bystander stepped from the curb, “imploring Chauvin to get off of Mr. Floyd, (Thao) put his hands on the citizen to keep him back,” the complaint said.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man whose death at Chauvin’s hands last May sparked a long period of unrest and major protests against policing and racism in America.

After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days, the jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for the killing of Floyd on a street corner last year on Memorial Day.

The second-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. The third-degree murder charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years, and second-degree manslaughter can carry up to 10 years.

In harrowing video footage from the May 25, 2020, incident that has been seen billions of times across the globe, Chauvin could be seen kneeling on the neck of Floyd for over nine minutes while fellow Minneapolis officers Tou Thao, J Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane stood by. Meanwhile, a horrified crowd of bystanders filmed and pled with officers as the event transpired.

On Monday, the prosecution and defense presented their closing arguments to the jury.

Prosecutors argued that Chauvin’s actions directly led to Floyd dying from low oxygen, or asphyxia. Prosecutor Steve Schleicher said that Chauvin “chose pride over policing,” calling his actions “unnecessary, gratuitous and disproportionate.” He also reminded the jury that Chauvin’s hundreds of hours of training over the course of 19 years with the Minneapolis Police Department should have led to a different outcome than Floyd’s death during a crisis.

The prosecution also focused on the fact that Chauvin knee was on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.

The defense, however, argued that Floyd’s use of illegal drugs and a pre-existing heart condition were to blame and that “the totality of the circumstances,” including exposure to carbon monoxide, led to his death in police custody.

38 witnesses were called by prosecutors, including the teenager who recorded the widely seen video that has been played endlessly over the past year. She and other bystanders testified that they remain haunted by Floyd’s death. The defense called seven witnesses, including two experts.

Floyd’s death rekindled a long-seething anger over police brutality and racial oppression in the United States, with cities across the U.S. and the world rising up in protest over his killing and the killings of other victims of law enforcement.

President Joe Biden had expressed his wish for “the right verdict” without specifying explicitly whether the verdict would be guilty or not guilty. Biden had been careful not to comment on a potential outcome in Chauvin’s trial while urging calm.  

Residents, activists and journalists descended on the Hennepin County Courthouse in downtown Minneapolis when the announcement was made at 2:30 pm local time that the verdict has been reached. The crowd greeted the judge’s announcement of Chauvin’s guilty charges with applause and cheers.