Police Officer Who Choked George Floyd Arrested

The officer who had his knee on the neck of the now deceased George Floyd, the African American whose death has spurred a protest that has led to the burning of a police precint in Minnesota, has been taken into custody.

This was disclosed by the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, John Harrington.

Derek Chauvin, the offending officer, was detained by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as people still fill the streets in protest against Floyd's death.

Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, apologized for the event that took place earlier this week, as protesters besiege streets in Minnesota.

Walz said, "What the world has witnessed since the killing of George Floyd on Monday has been a visceral pain, a community trying to understand who we are and where we go from here."

READ ALSO: George Floyd: African American Dies After Police Officer Chokes Him With A Knee

He added, "As we put a presence on the street to restore order, it is to open that space, to seek justice and heal what happened.

"I will not in any way not acknowledge that there is going to be that pain, but my first and foremost responsibility to the state of Minnesota is the safety and security of all citizens. We cannot have the looting and recklessness that went on."

George Floyd was arrested over the use of fake dollar notes at a covenience store, leading to Chauvin, resting his knee on his neck, with Floyd pleading with Chauvin to let up as he couldn't breathe.

Speaking on the matter was Alicia Smith, a community organizer, who said to CNN, "There are no words in the English language that will convey the despair that I felt watching that man's life leave his body and him scream out for his mother.

"I heard my son saying, 'Mama, save me."

She added, "My kids are little boys, and my son asked me, 'Am I gonna live to be a grown-up?'"