Thomas Lane Bodycam Video Transcript, Part 3
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(There appears to be only one online source which maintains a usable public video document of the Thomas Lane video. That source is Fox News, local affiliate FOX9 KMSP in Minneapolis Saint-Paul, Minnesota. The video is here. It is to the credit of FOX9 XMSP, and the people of Minneapolis Saint-Paul, to keep this document where the public can see it.)
(Given such limited access to the video, it’s not feasible to develop a perfectly accurate, objective, complete transcript, especially when the camera view is blocked or multiple people speak at once. Every effort has been made to avoid subjective language. The transcripts are substantially faithful to the content of the video.)
Kueng: "Get in the car!"
Floyd: "Can I talk to you please. Please let me talk to you!"
Kueng: "If you get in this car, we can talk!"
Floyd: "I'm claustrophobic!"
Kueng: "I'm hearing you but you're not working with me!"
Floyd: "God I'm claustrophobic man!"
During this exchange, Lane opens the passenger-side rear door of the squad car, and disconnects both shoulder belts.
Lane (leans into vehicle behind Floyd): "Slide your butt over here I'm gonna pull you in."
Kueng: "Get in the car!"
Floyd: "Can you please put me in the front? Please!"
Kueng: "No! You're not getting in the front!"
Floyd: "I'm claustrophobic Mr. Officer!"
Kueng: "Feet in the car! Get in the car!"
Lane takes a grip on Floyd and begins to pull. The exact position of Lane's grip is not visible in the camera frame.
Floyd: "OK man OK! I'm not a bad guy man. I'm not a bad guy!"
Floyd suddenly cries out and blubbers for a moment like a child. Floyd's speaking voice is gravelly; the rough, rattly quality of Floyd's vocal chords can be heard when he shouts.
Floyd: "Please Mr. Officer Please!"
Kueng: "Sit! Take a seat! Take a seat!"
Floyd: "Please! No (unintelligible). I can't! I can't choke. I can't breathe Mr. Officer Please! Plea-aaah!"
Floyd cries out three times.
Floyd: "My wrists, my wrists man, my wrists man Please!"
Floyd's feet are seen in the car. Floyd finds his footing and backpedals, forcing Lane backwards. As Floyd pushes his upper body out of the car, Lane catches hold of Floyd's shoulders and head so as to prevent a fall. Floyd's buttocks come clear of the car; his feet remain inside.
Floyd: "I can't take this man, I can't! Like I'm gonna lay on the ground! I want to lay on the ground! I want to lay on the ground! Gonna lay on the ground!"
Floyd gets his feet to the ground.
Lane: "Get in the squad."
Floyd: "I want to lay on the ground! I wa-aaah!
Floyd cries out five times as Lane shoves his upper body into the car. Chauvin joins the action, coming in on Lane's left. Floyd's upper body is prone on the car seat, but his legs remain outside the vehicle. Floyd slithers downward, out of the car.
Floyd: "Ah I'm going down, I'm going down I'm going down."
Kueng: "Get in the squad!"
Floyd: "I'm going down! I'm going down!"
Bystander 1: "You like to have a heart attack dude man get in the car!"
Floyd: "I know I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"
Bystander 1: "Get in the car!"
Floyd: "I just had covid man! I can't breathe!"
Lane, bumped out of the action by Kueng, stands back and fidgets with his silver wedding ring. Chauvin and Kueng continue trying to pile Floyd into the back of the patrol car, but Floyd's legs remain outside the vehicle. Floyd slumps; the officers cannot move Floyd forward.
Kueng: "Take a seat!"
Floyd: "I can't breathe, please listen to me! Please listen to me!"
Kueng: "You're under arrest right now for forgery. (inaudible) figure out what's going on here."
Lane: "Let's take him out and just...(unintelligible)."
Floyd: "I can't breathe! I can't fuckin breathe!"
Kueng: "Come on out!"
Lane (to bystander): "Yeah, can you just get up there? I appreciate that, I do."
The officers take Floyd to the ground, none too gently. Floyd rolls or is rolled into a prone position nearest the rear wheel of the squad car.
Kueng: "You got your uh....restraints? On you?"
Floyd: "I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I can't breathe."
Lane (wrestles with Floyd's flailing legs): "Jesus Christ." (To Kueng) "Thank you."
Kueng: "Stop movin!"
Floyd stops moving.
Floyd: "Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama!"
Kueng (to Thao): "In one of the front pouches, on my right-side bag." (to Floyd) "You're under arrest guy."
Floyd: "Am I? All right! All right! Oh my God. I can't b'leathe. I can't b'leathe. I can't b'leathe man. Mama I love you! (Leese) I love you! Tell my kids I love you. I'm (dead)."
Lane (to Thao): "You got a hobble? Mine's in my side, it's listed it's labeled. It says hobble. It's in the top."
Floyd: "Aw-huh! Aw-huh! Aw-huh! Aw-huh-huh! Mama I love you! I can't breathe Mr. Officer. My face is gone. Aw-huh! Ah I can't breathe man! Please! Please let me stand!"
Thao: "Well, do you want a hobble?"
Lane (to bystander): "Can you get up on the sidewalk please, one side or the other please."
Floyd: "Aw-huh! Aw-huh! My face (getting it) bad!"
Lane: "Get his legs up?"
Chauvin: "Just leave him."
Lane: "Alright. I hope that Park's still sitting on that car (inaudible). His ex-girlfriend is in there."
Kueng: "He wouldn't get out of the car."
Lane: "...instructions? Yeah Park's watching it. Two other people (inaudible)."
Floyd: "I can't breathe! I can't breathe! Please, man! Please!"
(radio chatter)
Floyd: "Please man!"
Kueng: "Relax!"
Lane: "You're talkin! Deep breaths!"
Floyd: "I can't breathe! I can't breathe! Yaagh! Wah-haah! My mother just died (yesterday)."
Kueng: "Relax!"
Lane: "He's gotta be on something."
Kueng: "What are you on?"
Floyd: "I can't breathe! Please (unintelligble). I can't breathe shit."
Bystander 1: "Get up get in the car man."
Floyd: "I will! I can't breathe! Wha-haaaaah! Mama!"
Lane: "We found a weed pipe on him, there might be something else with it, there might be like PCP or something. Is that the shaking of the eyes, right, is PCP? Where their eyes like shake back and forth really fast?"
Bystander 1: "(You didn't) listen!"
Floyd: "My leg hurts. Everything hurts. Awh-hm. Some water or something. Please. Please. Awh-haah! I can't breathe Officer aagh."
Kueng: "Stop talking. Or yelling. Using a heck of a lot of oxygen."
Floyd: "Come on man! Ugh. Ugh. I cannot breathe. I cannot breathe."
Floyd continues to cry out with every exhalation, but his cries are getting quieter.
Floyd: "(unintelligible) kill me. (unintelligible) kill me. I can't breathe."
Kueng (remonstrates with bystander): "We tried that for ten minutes."
Lane: "Roll him on his side?"
Chauvin: "(inaudible) staying where we got him."
Lane: "OK. I just worry about the...excited delirium or whatever."
Chauvin: "That's right, we'll (inaudible)"
Lane: "OK. It's close."
Bystander 2 (to Chauvin): "(inaudible) doing that shit man. You're a fucking bum. You ain't doing that shit right now bro. Should have put him in the fucking car by now. Look at you, his body language is (faint)."
Floyd's right elbow droops towards the pavement.