Black man reveals he spent four days in hospital after cop involved in death of George Floyd 'punched and kicked him until his teeth broke' and was paid $25,000 in damages

A black man says that one of the Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd punched and kicked him until his teeth were knocked out during an incident in 2014.

Lamar Ferguson received a settlement of $25,000 from the city when a lawsuit was settled out of court..

Ferguson told how he was attacked by officer Tou Thao, who was seen on video while his partner, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee onto the neck of Floyd until he passed out while they were arresting him on Monday evening.

Floyd died shortly after the arrest. Police claimed he was resisting arrest after they were called to the scene about a forgery in progress at a local deli in Minneapolis. 

Video of Floyd, 46, pleading with Chauvin, saying ‘I can’t breathe,’ circulated online and sparked outrage nationwide.

Floyd’s death and his arrest has prompted scrutiny of the officers involved, including Thao.

Lamar Ferguson (left) says he was arrested and beaten by two police officers in 2014 - one of whom was Tou Thao (right), who was one of four cops involved in the arrest of George Floyd

Floyd, 44, died in police custody on Monday after he was arrested by officers for alleged forgery

Mayor Jacob Frey has called for the white officer who knelt on Floyd's neck to be criminally charged on Wednesday. Derek Chauvin (pictured) was seen pinning him down in video footage that was widely shared on Tuesday 

Floyd was filmed Monday begging the Minneapolis cop to stop and telling him he could not breathe before he lost consciousness and later died

Ferguson told The Sun on Thursday that he was traumatized by an encounter with Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder, in October 2014.

He said he and his girlfriend, Brittany, who was eight months pregnant at the time, were leaving a hospital and walking through an alleyway just a few blocks from where Floyd was arrested.

Ferguson says he and his girlfriend were then stopped by the two officers.

He told The Sun the officers stopped him because they claimed he appeared ‘suspicious.’

When Thao and Thunder asked Ferguson to hand over his weapons, Ferguson told them he wasn’t armed.

‘They had no reason to stop me, they started asking me a whole bunch of questions, where I was going,’ Ferguson said.

‘They didn't find no drugs or any weapons.

‘[Thao] was the most aggressive one, I was in handcuffs within the first few minutes of the incident. I was horrified.

‘I was still in the alleyway, they started swinging me around and slammed me on the ground.’

Ferguson, 33, alleges that Thunder climbed on top of him while Thao started to punch and kick him.

Ferguson’s girlfriend stood helpless a few feet away, watching the incident unfold.

Thao claimed in his deposition that he and Thunder arrested Ferguson because of an outstanding warrant.

The officer said he began punching him after his hand slipped out of the handcuffs.

According to Ferguson’s lawsuit against the two officers, there was no outstanding warrant issued for Ferguson as his name did not appear when the cops ran it through the National Crime Information Center database.

Ferguson was taken to the hospital by the police. From there, he was hauled off to jail wearing only a t-shirt and underwear.

Ferguson filed a lawsuit against Thao and another officer, Robert Thunder (pictured above)

He had refused police requests to get dressed, according to the lawsuit.

Ferguson says the beating left him with several injuries, including busted teeth, damage to his face, back and shoulders, and psychological scars.

‘I was hospitalized for four days,’ he said.

‘I had a major sublux to my face, I got four stitches and had to wear a brace for two weeks.

‘I was terrified of being around police officers, I had to speak to a therapist, I didn't like the sound of handcuffs, or the sound of keys, I had night sweats for a long time.’

Prosecutors charged Ferguson with assaulting the two police officers, but he was later cleared of the charges at trial.

In 2017, an attorney filed a lawsuit on Ferguson’s behalf.

The lawsuit obtained by DailMail.com states 'Defendant Thunder and Defendant Thao’s use of unreasonable force on Plaintiff, in the form of punches, kicks, and knees to the face and body while Plaintiff was defenseless and handcuffed, was so extreme that it caused Plaintiff to suffer broken teeth as well as other bruising and trauma.'

The case was settled out of court for $25,000 after Thao said he had punched Ferguson after he 'actively resisted arrest'.

He wrote: 'After — at this point he’s actively resisting arrest. He — so I had no choice but to punch him. I punched him in the face.'

Thao had been the subject of six complaints, five of which resulted in no disciplinary action. One of the complaints remains open.

Thao, Chauvin, and two other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest - Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng – were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Chauvin, 44, the white police officer who knelt on Floyd's neck, has already been investigated over three police shootings and a fatal car chase.

In 2006, he was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes.

Reyes, 42, was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin.

The chief prosecutor of Hennepin County at the time, current Senator Amy Klobuchar, declined to prosecute Chauvin and the other officers.

The shooting took place while Klobuchar was in the midst of her campaign for the United States Senate.

Klobuchar, who recently ended her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for president, is considered one of the leading contenders to be Joe Biden's vice presidential pick. 

Two years later Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call.

Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer’s gun and Chauvin shot him.

In 2011, 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin.

Ferguson, a property manager, told The Sun that he saw the video of Floyd’s arrest. He said seeing Thao again brought back unpleasant memories.

‘When I first saw the officer, it was an eerie feeling, I didn't like that,’ he said.

‘I hope he gets what he deserves, he was so aggressive [with me].

‘If that was a citizen, he'd be in jail already. They need to go where they would put us.

‘I'm sorry that it happened, and I hope everyone comes together as one.

‘There needs to be a new police policy and training policy...

‘At least people know this wasn't the first time this has happened, and it's not the first officer to have done this.’

DailyMail.com has contacted Minneapolis police for comment and for the officers' full records with the department.

Chauvin is said to be represented by lawyer Tom Kelly.

He was Jeronimo Yavez' attorney after the Minnesota police officer fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in 2016.

Yavez was found not guilty on all three charges by a jury in 2017.

The remaining two officers, Lane and Kueng, were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods, according to the StarTribune.

The FBI and state law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into Floyd's death.

Minneapolis cops in riot gear last night fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of defiant protesters who took to the streets to demand justice for Floyd and protesters began to gather Tuesday for a second day of demonstrations.

The victim's heartbroken family have called for the cops to be charged with murder.

Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced on Tuesday that four officers are now 'former employees' of the force.

'We know there are inherent dangers in the profession of policing but the vast majority of the work we do never require the use of force,' Arradondo said.

Floyd's death has caused outrage across America with political figures and celebrities including Cardi B, P Diddy and Demi Lovato voicing their anger.

Floyd worked as a security guard at Conga Latin Bistro, a local bistro in Minneapolis.

The bar's owners have described him as a 'very calm, nice guy' who was not the type to be 'aggressive' or 'disrespectful'.

Ben Crump, the attorney for the victim's family has demanded officers face murder charges over the killing and said this is 'worse than Eric Garner' because the officers held Floyd down by the neck for eight minutes.

Crump pointed to the similarities in the case with the death of unarmed black man Garner who died in 2014 after he was placed in a chokehold by New York City police and pleaded for his life, saying he could not breathe. 

A fatal shooting and lawsuit for excessive force: What we know about the four officers fired for George Floyd's arrest 

Derek Chauvin

Derek Chauvin

The white police officer who knelt on George Floyd's neck has already been investigated over three police shootings and a fatal car chase. 

In 2006 Derek Chauvin, 44, was one of six officers connected to the death of Wayne Reyes.   

Reyes, 42 was killed by officers after allegedly pulling a shotgun on the six cops, which included Chauvin.     

Two years later Chauvin was investigated for his role in the 2008 shooting of Ira Latrell Toles during a domestic assault call. 

Toles was wounded after police said he went for an officer’s gun and Chauvin shot him.

And in 2011 23-year-old Leroy Martinez was shot and injured during a chase given by officers including Chauvin.  

Tou Thao 

Tou Thao

Tou Thao, was part of a $25,000 out of court settlement after being sued for using excessive force in 2017. 

A lawsuit obtained by the DailyMail.com shows Thao was sued for using excessive force in arrest where he was accused of punching and kicking a handcuffed suspect 'until his teeth broke'.     

The remaining two officers have been identified as Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng.

Both were reportedly rookie cops who were still in their probationary periods, according to the StarTribune.