US policeman in custody over death of George Floyd: official

Minneapolis, May 29 (AFP/APP):The policeman accused of killing unarmed African American George Lloyd in the US city of Minneapolis has been taken into custody, a state official announced Friday.

Derek Chauvin, who was seen in an explosive video pressing his knee to the neck of handcuffed Floyd for at least five minutes on Monday, was arrested earlier Friday, said John Harrington, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

"I have just received information from Andrew Evans, the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, that the officer who has been identified as Derek Chauvin in the death of Mr Floyd has been taken into custody by the BCA," Harrington told reporters.