there's one more question, we're told, that will be asked to this witness, sergeant david pleoger. explain what's going on now. this is a sensitive moment. >> yes, when you have matters of law, usually an attorney can stand up and make an objection based upon a matter of law. the jury will go out. what you saw there was the prosecution and the defense going back and forth over a report that the defense was -- that the prosecution was trying to get in. what we saw was that the person who was testifying -- the defense was making the argument since he was not there, he did not compile the report, he cannot give his opinion based on that report. >> all right. hold on -- hold on. >> you saw it could be a very narrow question asked. >> hold your thought. let's resume the coverage of the trial. >> correct. >> thank you. i have no further questions, your honor. >> mr. nelson? >> thank you, your honor . good afternoon, sergeant pleogerment >> good afternoon, sir. >> thank you for being with us today. a few questions that i had to follow up on with you. when a police officer under your comma

this is david pleoger.ired as a sergeant from the minneapolis police department but at the time of the killing of joirj floyd, he was derek chauvin's boss. he says that he did not learn about the knee on george floyd's neck until he got to the hospital. there was that photo, either entered into evidence or it was already in, that was brought up. i wonder, too, if you take the sort of different vantage points that the prosecution is presenting to this jury and you pull the point earlier that they've presented it from the eye-witnesses who were just there by a twist of fate. they've presented it from the humans closest to him, his girlfriend. they've presented it from the emergency medical responders, one off-duty, and then the officials who responded and saw the same thing. and now from chauvin's own boss. they all saw the same thing, jason. >> yeah. and nicole, like, you could not ask -- as a prosecutor, you couldn't ask for a better collection of witnesses. nurses, emts, coworkers, mma fighters, i mean, th

after the paramedics dropped floyd at the hospital, chauvin got a call from now retired sergeant david pleoger. the jury heard chauvin on body camera video on that call initially failing to mention he had pinned floyd down with a knee on his neck moments earlier. >> we just had to -- had to hold the guy down. he was -- he was going crazy. >> reporter: pleoger testifying that chauvin should have stopped restraining floyd sooner. >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers they could have ended their restraint. >> and that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resisting? >> correct. >> reporter: jurors heard from floyd's girlfriend of three years, courteney ross, who acknowledged she and floyd had abused prescription drugs. >> it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. mine was in my neck, and his was in his back. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: under cross-examination ross confirmed floyd was hospitalized for several days after ove

. >> reporter: now retired, police sergeant david pleoger told the jury about his first phone conversation with chauvin after the incident >> we just had to hold the guy down he was -- was going crazy. >> reporter: some of the audio captured on chauvin's body camera. >> did he mention anything about putting his knee on mr. floyd's neck or back >> no. >> reporter: after a week of emotional witnesses the prosecution is now relying on law enforcement testimony to make its case that chauvin went rogue >> when the jurors are looking to make an evaluation, this is going to be the first time that they can actually look to other law enforcement and supervising law enforcement agents to say that this was or was not a proper use of force >> reporter: so far prosecutors have called 19 witnesses. testimony resumes monday, lester >> all right gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> now to the covid crisis and new cdc guidance on travel while still urging americans against non-essential travel, those fully vaccinated are now considered low-risk but tom costello reports there's concern about this holiday weekend.

. >> reporter: after the ambulance left, chauvin got a call from his supervisor sergeant david pleoger. he had heard from a concerned 911 dispatcher who was watching the scene play out over security camera. she testified that she thought the video had frozen because the officers were on top of floyd for so long. she says she knew something was wrong. and called the sergeant. >> you can call me a snitch if you want to. and all of them sat on this man, so, i don't know if they needed you or not. >> reporter: the sergeant then calling chauvin. this is what chauvin told him. >> we just had to hold a guy down. he was -- was going crazy. >> reporter: but the sergeant testified that in that phone call, chauvin never told him he had pinned floyd down with a knee on his neck. today the jury also hearing from floyd's girlfriend of three years, courteney ross. >> we saw each other as much as we possibly could. >> reporter: she acknowledged they abused prescription drugs. >> it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffer from chronic pain. mine was in my neck and h

. >> reporter: he was talking to the supervising police sergeant on duty at the time, david pleoger. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> reporter:. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended the restraint. >> that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resisting. >>? correct. >> the paramedics responded to the scene and arrived to an unresponsive floyd. smith seen here checking floyd for vitals. >> and what did his condition appear to be to you? >> in lay terms i thought he was dead. >> reporter: the checking began while now former officer derek chauvin still had his knee on floyd's neck. before brav ender stepped in. >> what are you attempting to do? >> have the officer move. >> why did you need him to move? >> to move the patient because was limp. >> reporter: he testified a cardiac monitor showed floyd's heart had flatlined. >> your heart isn't really doing anything at that moment. >> reporter: during cross-examinati

zimmerman, aradondo, david pleoger, lieutenant mercil and all reach different conclusions about when the force became unreasonable. all you have to know about barry brod is what he was talking about is this physically managing any person, his opinion was, you can use non-deadly force to physically manage a person. it's all within the model of the mpd decision-making model. i found the most interesting person to be relevant to the use of force lieutenant johnny mercil. considering that he is derek chauvin's actual use of force trainer. so the best glimpse that we're going to get into the training of a minneapolis police officer comes from the trainer who conducts the training. he has conducted hundreds of trainings over the years. he corrected the state at certain times in terms of how strike charts don't apply to restraint techniques. he said the knee on the neck is not an unauthorized move. and it can be utilized in certain circumstances. he described using a knee on the neck and back and stated it can be there for an extended period of time, depending on the level of resistance you

. >> chauvin spoke to david pleoger who took the stand on thursday. >> did he mention anything about putting his knee on mr. floyd's neck or back? >> no. >> did you get any sense from the defendant how long this restraint lasted? >> no, i didn't have any idea. >> pleoger who has since retired recalled driving to the scene after speaking with chauvin. he asked officers to get information from witnesses. chauvin's response? >> we can try. they're pretty -- all pretty hostile. >> reporter: pleoger testified it wasn't until after they arrived at the hospital that he learned chauvin had placed his knee on george floyd's neck. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> when is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint. >> reporter: the two medics described in detail the life-saving measures they tried to floyd. paramedic derek smith checked floyd's pulse and pupils while chauvin still had his knee on floyd. floyd did not appear to be breathing or

sergeant david pleoger, now retired, was a supervising officer on duty.followed police protocol? >> do you have an opinion, as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended, in this encounter? >> yes. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint. >> and that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground, and no longer resistant? >> correct. >> reporter: the jury, also, heard from 35-year police veteran, richard zimmerman. who testified it was totally unnecessary for chauvin to kneel on floyd's neck, after he had been handcuffed. calling it deadly use of force. >> once you handcuff somebody, that does affect the amount of force that you should consider using? >> absolutely. >> how so? >> once a person is cuffed, the -- the threat level goes down. >> reporter: chauvin's attorney attempted to undermine zimmerman's credibility. arguing that zimmerman is a detective, not a patrol officer. >> and it would not be within your normal role of -- or job duties to do such a use

sergeant david pleoger, now retired was the servicing officer on duty, he was asked if police followedan opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> when is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer putting up any resistance and restraint. >> and that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resisting? >> correct. >> reporter: the jury also heard from 35-year police veteran richard zimmerman who testified it was totally unnecessary for chov ton kneel on floyd's neck after he has been handcuffed calling it deadly use of force. >> once you handcuff somebody does that affect the amount of force you should consider using? >> absolutely. >> how so? >> once a person is cuffed, the threat level goes down. >> reporter: chauvin's attorney attempted to undermine zimmerman's credibility, arguing that zimmerman say detective, not a patrol officer. >> and it would not be within your normal role or job duties to do such a use of force analysis, right? >> that's correct. >> reporter: during the week of testimony, a common emotion emerged

the jury was then brought back into the room, and here is out the direct examination from david pleoger went. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended, in this encounter? >> yes, sir. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint. >> and that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground, and no longer resistant? >> correct. >> remember, the opioid crisis? it became a crisis for republican politicians during the campaign of 2016 when they discovered that white people in west virginia and in other republican voting states were dying of heroin overdoses in large numbers. the stories republican politicians were hearing were chillingly similar. a doctor prescribed opioids for a factory worker with a bad back. those opioids had been pushed on that doctor, by purdue pharma, the pharmaceutical company, that has essentially been put out of business for its liabilities in creating the opioid crisis. the white republican voting workers who got addicted to opioids through the

also on the stand, now retired minneapolis police sergeant david pleoger. that day 9-1-1 operator jenna scurry called pleoger about a possible incident because he was the supervisor at the time. pleoger called chauvin and eventually made it to the scene. >> did he mention anything about putting his knee on mr. floyd's neck or back? >> no. >> and is the placement of a knee on a subject's neck a use of force? >> yes. >> because floyd died, the case was sent up the chain of command and pleoger was not responsible for a full review of the incident. the defense argued that pleoger should not answer certain questions because he had not reviewed all the evidence. after an extensive back and forth between prosecutors and the defense, the judge allowed pleoger to answer this question. >> do you have an opinion as to when the restraint of mr. floyd should have ended in this encounter? >> yes. >> what is it? >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up in iresistance to the officers, they could have ended their restraint. >> we spoke to a legal expert who told us the d

. >> reporter: the supervisor he was talking to, retired sergeant david pleoger said he should have stoppedestraining floyd sooner. >> when mr. floyd was no longer offering up any resistance to the officers they could have ended their restraint. >> that was after he was handcuffed and on the ground and no longer resisting? >> correct. >> reporter: and only a half day in court today. we expect the prosecution could soon call the minneapolis police chief to testify. t.j.? >> all right, alex, thank you so much. day five of the derek chauvin trial set to get under way 10:15 eastern time. you can watch our streaming channel abc news live for full coverage. coming up our exclusive and emotional interview with the first witness in the trial to speak publicly revealing his regrets and his message now for derek chauvin. that is in our next half hour. >>> we're going to turn now to those new details in the california mass shooting that left four people dead, including a 9-year-old boy. police are now saying this was not a random act of violence. kaylee hartung has the latest in orange, california. go

. >> reporter: now retired police sergeant david pleoger also told jurors about his first phone conversation with chauvin shortly after george floyd's death. >> did he mention putting his knee on mr. floyd's neck or back? >> no. >> reporter: two other witnesses, paramedics, said floyd had no pulse when ems arrived at the scene. >> i didn't see any breathing or movement or anything like that. >> in lay terms, i thought he was dead. >> reporter: floyd's girlfriend, courteney ross, broke down in tears as she remembered how they met in 2017. >> he had this great, deep southern voice. >> reporter: ross said injuries and his desire to still be physically active led floyd, a former athlete, to pain pills. >> it's a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids. we both suffered from chronic pain. we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times. >> reporter: in march of 2020, ross testified she drove floyd to a hospital and learned that he'd overdosed. >> you did not know he had taken heroin at that time? >> no. >> reporter: the defense team is arguing his underly

chauvin's former supervisor, retired police sergeant david pleoger. >> thank you, your honor. the city calls mr. pleoger. raise your hand. do you swear or affirm the testimony you are about to give will be the truth and nothing but the truth? thank you. before you begin if you could remove your mask, that would help us to hear you better. and second, give your full name, spelling out each of your names. >> david, last name pleoger. >> thank you very much, your honor. good afternoon, sir. >> good afternoon. >> can you please tell the jury where you used to work? >> the city of minneapolis police department. >> how how long were you there? >> approximately 27 years. >> and you recently retired? >> yes sir. a. >> when did you begin your career as a minneapolis police officer? >> 1993. >> and where did you start? did you start your career at mpd? >> previously at the richmond minnesota police department for approximately six months. >> and after working at richmond, you moved to the minneapolis police department, is that right? >> correct. >> did you do your academy training at th