Derek Chauvin Defense Attorney Likens Position George Floyd was Killed in to Getting a ‘Massage,’ ‘Laying By the Pool in Florida’

While questioning forensic pathologist Dr. Lindsey C. Thomas, Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney Eric Nelson likened the position that George Floyd was killed in to the “prone position” massage therapists and chiropractors often put their clients in.

Nelson pointed to a Canadian study that he claimed undermined the dangers of pinning someone face down in “prone position” while in police custody, adding, “that was essentially an analysis of actual police encounters.”

Thomas quickly objected, reminding the attorney that the study referred to police encounters in Canada, not the United States.

According to Nelson, the study went through the number of police encounters with civilians, specifically focusing on encounters where the civilian is placed in the “prone position,” versus when they are not.

“Ultimately they analyzed about 3,000 prone positional placements?” he said, adding, “Out of like 1.1 million police interactions.”

Nelson revealed that out of the 3,000 people put in prone positional placements by law enforcement officers, none had died.

“Isn’t that amazing? When you consider that virtually every forensic pathologist in the United States has probably had an officer-involved death,” Thomas responded, successfully turning the question around. “How did they — It utterly baffles me. That’s why I kept emphasizing Canada. I don’t know what’s different.”

Undeterred, Nelson continued to question Thomas on the prone position, asking if the position by itself, without any external factors, is considered dangerous.

Thomas confirmed that it is not considered dangerous to lie on your stomach without any other external factors.

Nelson then proceeded to ask Thomas whether specific examples of being in the prone position were considered dangerous. Of course, none of the examples included someone’s knee placed on the neck of the person lying face-down.

“So, the prone position is examined and used in a lot of different settings?” Nelson asked, later clarifying, “Even in hospitals and in the treatment of, let’s say, Covid, the prone position is used?”

Thomas confirmed that the prone position is used in those cases.

“Chiropractors put people in the prone position, right? … Massage therapists put people in the prone position, right” Nelson continued, prompting Thomas to confirm that in those cases, the position is not dangerous.

“Is the prone position on concrete inherently dangerous?” Nelson continued.

“Again, with no other factors,” Thomas confirmed. “As long as someone can breathe, no.”

“I could be laying by the pool in Florida, on my stomach in the prone position — not inherently dangerous, right?” Nelson added, which Thomas again confirmed was correct.

At another point in the trial, Thomas clarified that although the prone position is “not inherently dangerous” by itself — “From watching the video, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in that position.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.