Ex-Minneapolis Officer Thomas Lane Released from Federal Prison After Conviction in George Floyd Case
Thomas Lane, a former Minneapolis police officer convicted in connection with George Floyd‘s death, has been released from federal prison as of Tuesday, August 21. Lane, 41, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison in July 2022 for violating Floyd’s civil rights. Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was fatally restrained by officers on May 25, 2020, as he repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe.
Lane was involved in holding down Floyd’s legs during the arrest, while his colleague Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck and back. Another officer, J. Alexander Kueng, restrained Floyd’s torso, and Tou Thao managed the crowd of onlookers.
In addition to his federal sentence, Lane received a three-year state prison term for aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death, to which he pleaded guilty. The aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder charge against him was dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Lane served both sentences concurrently at Englewood prison in Colorado, a low-security facility. He now faces a two-year term of supervised release.
All four officers involved were convicted on various state and federal charges. Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years for state charges and 21 years for federal civil rights violations, with the federal sentence running concurrently with his state term. The US Supreme Court upheld Chauvin’s conviction in November 2023.