Council settles with 2 pinned by Derek Chauvin years before George Floyd death

April 13 (UPI) -- A teenager and a woman who were pinned by police officer Derek Chauvin years before he killed George Floyd reached million-dollar settlements with the Minneapolis City Council on Thursday.

John Pope, 20, and Zoya Code, 40, filed their claims in June 2022 after they were pinned by Chauvin, three years before he murdered Floyd. Chauvin pleaded guilty to violating their civil rights, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Pope will receive $7.5 million and Code will receive $1.375 mililon.

The council voted 11-0 in favor of the settlement. Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara both apologized to Pope and Code after the settlement.

"That is where we have been, but not where we are going," Frey said.

"This is an example of the cancer that has infected this department," O'Hara said, according to KARE11. "Nearly six years after these two incidents occurred, we are forced once again to reckon with the deplorable acts of a person (Chauvin) who has proven to be a national embarrassment to the policing profession, and the continued harm he has caused members of our community."

Police records show that Chauvin went to Pope's home when he was 14, after hearing reports that a mother had been assaulted by her two teenage children.

The lawsuit alleges that Chauvin became increasingly aggressive with Pope and eventually struck him multiple times on the head with a large flashlight. He then pinned him to the floor for close to 17 minutes. Pope said that he was grateful a video of the incident got released.

"The video makes a statement in itself," he said. "It shows there's a problem with the city as a whole. It's not just the police department, it's a lot of them working to cover their tracks."

Code's lawsuit was similar, alleging Chauvin used excessive force on her while she was face-down and handcuffed. She said that Chauvin also pinned his knee to the back of her neck for nearly 5 minutes.