DeSantis suggests Chauvin jury may have been ‘scared of what a mob’ would do

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday suggested that the jury in the Derek Chauvin trial may have voted to convict the former Minneapolis police officer who was on trial for the killing of George Floyd because it was “scared of what a mob may do.”

During an appearance on Fox News hours after the guilty verdicts were read, host Laura Ingraham played a clip of an unnamed person in New York saying, “If you continue to allow us to be murdered in the streets without justice, we will raise hell in America,” according to the Orlando Sentinel.

In response, DeSantis called the remarks “really, really troubling,” adding “I don’t know what happened with this verdict, but if that’s something that can potentially happen, where you basically have justice made meted out because the jury is scared of what a mob may do? And again I’m not saying that’s what happened here, but that speaker seemed to suggest that that had an impact, that’s completely antithetical to the rule of law.”

Ron DeSantis on Chauvin’s jury conviction: “If that’s something that can potentially happen, where you have justice meted out because the jury is scared of what a mob may do — not saying that’s what happened here … [but] that’s completely antithetical to the rule of law.” pic.twitter.com/fBDDCxmiQd

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 21, 2021

DeSantis went on to say that in Florida, which recently passed legislation known as the “anti-riot bill,” individuals who engage in that manner will be sent to jail.

“I think what we’ve done with our bill, our anti-riot bill, is saying, you engage with that you’re going to jail, you’re not going to gain by doing that, we’re going to maintain law and order,” DeSantis said.

“But certainly to think that somehow that is going to influence how the rule of law is applied, it would be a total disaster if that idea takes hold,” he continued.

DeSantis on Monday passed the bill which he says is aimed at “combating public disorder.”

Specifically, the legislation raises the charge for protesters who destroy historical structures, including flags and memorials, to a felony, it grants civil legal immunity to individuals who drive through roads that protesters block off and it prohibits protesters who are arrested during a riot from posting bail until after their first court date.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chauvin was found guilty on all three of the criminal counts he was charged with: second-degree murder, second-degree manslaughter and third-degree murder.

Chauvin was captured on video footage in May kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd was pronounced dead later that day at a local hospital.

Protests erupted throughout the country following Floyd’s death, as people began demonstrating against racial injustice and police violence.