It was only his fourth full day on the job, and his attorney says the rookie officer tried to get Derek Chauvin to take his knee off of George Floyd's neck.
Earl Gray, counsel for 37-year-old former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane, told The TodayShow Monday that Lane "did not standby and watch. He was holding the legs because the guy was resisting at first. Now, when he's holding his legs, he says to Chauvin, 'Well, should we roll him over because he says he can't breathe?' Chauvin says 'no.'"
Gray says Lane obeyed a superior order. Lane and two other officers are charged as accessories in George Floyd's May 25 arrest death. Chauvin faces second-degree murder and additional charges.
TMZ reported, "The family of Thomas Lane is soliciting donations via a website they've set up. His bail's been set at a million bucks ... and if convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison."
They have a petition for him as well.