Derek Chauvin 'Violently Jerked,' Kneeled On Woman’s Neck: Lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS — A former Minneapolis public works employee sued the city on Tuesday, claiming that ex-police officer Derek Chauvin threw her from her vehicle and pinned her to the ground with his knee in January 2020, four months before he did the same in George Floyd's murder.

The attorneys also claim that Chauvin's partner at the time, Officer Ellen Jensen, failed by not intervening.

"Patty Day was violently jerked from her car by Chauvin and Jensen and thrown to the ground, despite being no threat to the officers. Chauvin then assumed his signature pose - pressing his knee into Ms. Day’s back while she was handcuffed," argued Robins Kaplan LLP, her attorneys

"Chauvin’s use of excessive force resulted in Ms. Day suffering a fractured tooth, along with significant arm and shoulder injuries."

The complaint — filed in Federal court in Minnesota — also claims that the city of Minneapolis knew their officers had a long history of excessive force, dating back to instances in 2017.

On Jan. 17, 2020, Day's minivan became stuck in the snow and she was there for several hours when Chauvin and Jensen arrived on the scene.

The complaint does note that Day was drunk during the incident. She was charged with drunk-driving in the incident, but that charge was later dropped in part because of the way the officers treated her, the lawsuit claims.

“While it is clear that Derek Chauvin is a serial predator and Patty Day is just another in a long line of prey, it is the City of Minneapolis that holds the responsibility for training their officers on these excessive force techniques and not stopping the practice or holding their officers responsible once they knew how dangerous and deadly it could be,” said Robins Kaplan civil rights attorney Katie Bennett.

Ms. Day said: "Sadly, my experience with Derek Chauvin is not unique. George Floyd died at the hands of this individual, and had the City intervened on his behavior after my interaction, he could still be alive today. Other people have also had their civil rights violated, like Zoya Code and John Pope, showing his aggressive patterns. It was a traumatic part of my life that I hope no one else will have to endure."

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.