Thomas Lane, one of the four responding officers charged in George Floyd’s death, has raised his $750,000 bond with the help of donations to a crowdfunding site, the Star Tribune reported.
Lane, 37, has been released from the Hennepin County jail where he had been held in lieu of $750,000 bail, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman said.
A fundraising website that asked for money through PayPal donations on Lane’s behalf has since been taken down. The site described Lane’s bail amount as unfairly high and also said Lane “did everything he could” to save Floyd’s life, according to the Star Tribune.
Lane’s attorney, Earl Gray, confirmed that the website was legitimate but said he did not know how much money was raised or who led the effort. The site said “Lane and his family appreciate your support and prayers during this time.”
Three Minneapolis police officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death on May 25.
Lane was on his fourth shift with the Minneapolis Police Department when he and three other officers responded to the call that resulted in Floyd’s death. According to the charges, Lane held Floyd’s legs while supervisor Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes, New York Post reported.
Floyd begged for his life and said repeatedly, “I can’t breathe.” A bystander shot video of the arrest, and the brutality of the police action has resulted in 17 days of protests against police violence and racism around the U.S. and the world.
Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Chauvin’s bail is set at $1.25 million.
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The other co-defendants, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng, face the same charges as Lane and remained jailed as of 4:35 p.m., Star Tribune reported.
The 3rd precinct in Minneapolis where the arresting officers worked was the site of early protests and was set on fire on May 28, three days after Floyd’s death.
Lane is in hiding with his wife because of safety concerns, his attoney said . The attorney previously insisted that Lane had been “doing what he thought was right” and tried to get Chauvin to remove his knee.
