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Inside Politics
Store Worker: Felt "Disbelief" As He Watched George Floyd Incident; Store Worker: Floyd Was In The Store Earlier That Day With Man Who Also Tried To Pay With Counterfeit Bill; Store Employee Testifies In Derek Chauvin Trial. Aired 12-12:30p ET
Aired March 31, 2021 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
MATTHEW FRANK, PROSECUTING ATTORNEY: And did you ask the court to make the call?
CHRISTOPHER MARTIN, CUP FOODS EMPLOYEE: No.
FRANK: Where you present when you make the call?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: So you were there next to him or something?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And so at some point, did the police respond to the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And when they responded, did you see the officers actually come into the store?
MARTIN: I do not recall.
FRANK: All right. Did they deal with you when they came to the store?
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: Do you know who they dealt with?
MARTIN: They went and talked to my manager.
FRANK: And you were not involved in the conversations with the officers at all at that time?
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: So what did you do?
MARTIN: I was still working cashier.
FRANK: Just went about your business.
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And as you did that, as you continued working, did you notice a commotion out in front of the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Recall what it was that sort of first drew your attention out there.
MARTIN: I just saw a few people at first, and then the crowd grew larger. And pretty soon the store was empty as well. So there was no one that I needed to help inside the store. So then I proceeded to go outside to what's happening.
FRANK: When you saw this crowd gathering, where was the crowd?
MARTIN: It was right where the bus stop is on Chicago.
FRANK: So I'm kind of--
MARTIN: Or little to the left.
FRANK: Right in front of the store?
MARTIN: --patient.
FRANK: I'm sorry, I spoke over you.
MARTIN: So I was just saying it was just 10 paces to the left of the bus stop.
FRANK: All right. And so the bus stop as you is looking out from the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And so did you, in fact, decide to go out and look into what the crowd was gathering for?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And when you went out there what did you see?
MARTIN: I saw people yelling and screaming. I saw Derek with his knee, on George's neck, on the ground.
FRANK: So let me back up just a little bit. Now you say Derek or mean, Mr. Chauvin?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Now, did you know who that person was at the time?
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: So you've just learned his name since then? MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: So was that person wearing a police uniform?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And where did you see that individual?
MARTIN: On top of George Floyd.
FRANK: And you didn't - well, other than seeing Mr. Floyd that day, you did not know him before that?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Do you recognize him as the person who had been in the store earlier?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And the person that you're trying to talk to in the SUV?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And did you see any other officers in the area?
MARTIN: I saw I think his name is Officer Tao.
FRANK: Where did you see him?
MARTIN: He was in front of the crowd kind of telling people to stand back.
FRANK: And you remember about how many people were in the crowd?
MARTIN: They had about several.
FRANK: And when they were - well, what did you see the officer on Mr. Floyd? What was the relation of their two bodies? What was happening there?
MARTIN: George was motionless, limped and Chauvin seemed very - he was in a resting state. Meaning like, he just rested his knee on his neck.
FRANK: And what did you do when you saw that?
MARTIN: I pulled my phone out first. And I called my mom and tell her not to come downstairs. And then I started recording.
FRANK: And did you make a recording?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Did you keep that recording?
MARTIN: No. FRANK: Why not?
MARTIN: Later on that night, I deleted it. Because when they pick George up off of the ground, the ambulance went straight on 38th instead of going straight on Chicago. And if you live in South Minneapolis, the easiest way to get to the hospital would have been straight on Chicago. So that to me kind of made it like clear that he was no longer with us.
FRANK: So you thought he died?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Why that would make you delete the video.
MARTIN: Oh, I just didn't want to have to show it to anyone, or be questioning.
FRANK: And so after you called your mom, you started taking a video. What did you do after that?
MARTIN: I was recording until one of my co workers was pushed by an officer.
FRANK: And so what - had you seen the coworker do right before the push.
MARTIN: He was yelling at the officer and kind of how the other people in the crowd were doing and asking them to check his pose. If he's breathing, see if he's OK kind of thing.
FRANK: So did he leave the sidewalk curb area and go onto the road?
[12:05:00]
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: How far?
MARTIN: I did not recall.
FRANK: This coworker of yours that got pushed. Do you know how old he was that day?
MARTIN: I didn't know.
FRANK: Is he older or younger than you?
MARTIN: Younger.
FRANK: Teenager?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And after he got pushed, did you see what happened to him? Or what became of him? MARTIN: Yes. On my other coworker, just like grabbed him up and
brought him inside.
FRANK: So removed him from the scene?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And prior to coming into court, did we show you a security video from Cup Foods that shows that area?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And that area while you were out there?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And that appear to depict truly and accurately the time period during which you are out there during this incident?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And you're on right offer, then what we've marked as exhibit 33--
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 33 is received.
FRANK: All right. So now I'm going to start showing exhibit 33. And we may pause this like we had done the other videos, all right? I'm going to pause it right here for a moment. You recognize the scene?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And this is you in the foreground, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And what you're doing right at that moment?
MARTIN: That was when I was calling my mom to tell her not to come downstairs.
FRANK: And if she were to come down the stairs from where you were living?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Is the door she would have come out? Would that have been in this scene?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Can you take that stylist and just show where that door would be?
MARTIN: It would swing open right here.
FRANK: So if she had come down to the come right into this scene, correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And then you talked about a coworker who was younger than you, who came out is that the individual on the white T-shirt?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: All right. OK, so then we will continue to run exhibit 33, please. I'm going to pause it right here, please. For the record, this is 2834. And can you describe for the jurors, what you're doing at this moment?
MARTIN: I was recording the scene.
FRANK: So this you'd watch farther over towards the scene?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Really by the door where your mind would have come out if she had came out?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And the individual in the white T-shirt. What - he had stepped off the curb into the street here, correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: All right. And so then let's continue to run exhibit 33 please. Good pause right there. Please at 82841. Is that the moment you were talking about when your coworker got pushed?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And did you see at all anywhere in there where he touched the police officer?
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: And so then you are now standing around behind that group of people, correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Did you know anybody in that crowd?
MARTIN: My two co workers.
FRANK: All right. So right now if you could just put like a line or dot on where your two co workers are? And both of those are individuals who went out during the second trip to the SUV, correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And did you know any of the other people there in the crowd at the time?
MARTIN: Not at the time.
FRANK: OK. Did you know --?
[12:10:00]
MARTIN: I think yes.
FRANK: You know --?
MARTIN: Yes.
FRANK: And was she there at the time?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: You see where she is now?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: All right. And how did you know her?
MARTIN: Just through school.
FRANK: And - alright, so then let's continue to run exhibit 33, please. I'm going to stop right here, please. Can you describe for the jurors and what we're seeing what's going on there in that segment of the video?
MARTIN: That was when my coworkers kind of grabbed out the other co worker and brought him back inside. And I was just showing like, chill out, chill out, chill out.
FRANK: And so when his co workers came to get the young man in the white T-shirt, he went with them back into the store.
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And you were following them?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: All right. So let's continue to run 33 then. I want to pause here for a moment, please. For the record a 2904 you tell the jurors what happened what you were doing here?
MARTIN: At this point I think I was just kind of emotional. And I went to African American that was standing there in the Caribbean. I was just like, like, they're not going to help him. This is what we have to deal with.
FRANK: OK. That's fine. So you had a conversation with another person standing there.
MARTIN: Correct. FRANK: And when you walked up there, we saw just before I stopped it, there was a young girl there in green shirt. Did you see her when you were walking up there?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: You remember seeing her in the store earlier?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: Did you know who she was?
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: And you remember being the cashier when she was in the store earlier?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And then can we continue to run exhibit 33 please. I'm going to pause here for a moment. The record to reflect 82955 you started you're standing there with your hands on your head for a while, correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: What's going through your mind during that time period?
MARTIN: Disbelief and guilt.
FRANK: Why guilt?
MARTIN: If I would have just not taken the bill this could have been avoided.
FRANK: We also saw another individual get pushed by an officer correct?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And what did you do after that happened?
MARTIN: I was just trying to calm them down telling them stand back.
FRANK: All right. So let's continue running 33 then please. Who are you talking to there?
MARTIN: My mom.
FRANK: OK. So that takes us to the end of exhibit 33 you were going back into the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And so then did you just continue to work your shift?
MARTIN: Correct.
FRANK: And so did you continue to work at Cup Foods as long as you could?
[12:15:00]
MARTIN: No.
FRANK: Why not?
MARTIN: I don't feel safe.
FRANK: I have no further questions your honor.
ERIC NELSON: Good morning, sir.
MARTIN: Good morning.
NELSON: Thank you for being here today. You testified that you are currently are 20 years old.
MARTIN: 19.
NELSON: 19. Sorry, I didn't hear that. And at the time, you were both living and working at Cup Foods, right? In the apartments above you were living and working there?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you testified that you had worked there for about a month and a half to two months before this incident?
MARTIN: Four months.
NELSON: Four months?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You would agree that you've made a few statements in connection with this case?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You were first interviewed by agents of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and FBI back on September 10th of last year. Do you recall that?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And then you have had another meeting as of March 12th, with the prosecutors and other agents of the BCA, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you understand that those statements were recorded?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you understand that we've been provided with transcripts.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Have you had an opportunity to review your statements prior to coming into court?
MARTIN: Yes.
NELSON: And you had an opportunity to review your transcript.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. So I just kind of want to walk through again. You've - we've now watched a few videos from both inside the store and outside the store and from a neighboring business. Agreed?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you've had an opportunity to address some things that happened in inside the store and outside the store throughout the whole incident, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. So you were working your shift - you said started about 3 pm that day?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And this incident ultimately was around the 7:30 to eight o'clock hour, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you - video, when we were watching the first video, you and your coworkers seem to get along quite well?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Talking, laughing, having fun interacting with customers, things of that nature.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And the story is sort of like a one stop shop, kind of a story and does a lot of things in the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You can they've got a deli, you said. You've got cell phone service, cell phone repair, snacks. And then there's the separate tobacco area right?
MARTIN: Correct. NELSON: Now in the store is there where we see you behind the counter is there an entrance for employees into the tobacco area that you go through?
MARTIN: Could you ask the question again, please?
NELSON: Sure. So I understand when a customer comes into Cup Foods, there are essentially two doors that they can go through right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: One of them on the right hand side is the tobacco shop, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And the one on the left hand side is the convenience store, the general store, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. And the tobacco shop is separate because you have to be a certain age to go into the store, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: It would be 21, right? Well 18--
MARTIN: To buy products or to simply go into the store?
NELSON: No, to go into the tobacco portion?
MARTIN: I'm not sure there is an age requirement people came in, no matter how they were.
NELSON: All right. Is within the store is there a partition or some sort of glass that inside the store separates the tobacco area from the convenience store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And so my question is, is where you stand like do you have to walk out through the convenience store door and go into the tobacco store door or is there a separate entrance where you can get into the tobacco portion?
MARTIN: From where are you starting?
NELSON: If you were - if you were the cashier there, right?
[12:20:00]
MARTIN: Oh, you can just walk over to the tobacco section. You don't have to go all the way around.
NELSON: Right.
MARTIN: That's what you meant.
NELSON: That's what, exactly. Thank you. I'm sorry - I may have not been articulating that as well.
MARTIN: No worries.
NELSON: All right.
MARTIN: My fault.
NELSON: And the - you were in the store, and you observed a person who you later learned was George Floyd come into the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you ultimately assisted him in the store.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And he was in the store. And the person that you observed in the front passenger seat was also in the videos we just watched, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: He had on a pair of red sweatpants and a white T-shirt, I believe?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. And did you have any interactions with him while you were in the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You I believe you said that he had also attempted to use a counterfeit bill?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Like you stopped him?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Did that happen before or after your interaction with Mr. Floyd?
MARTIN: Before.
NELSON: And so you gave when he handed you that bill, you knew that that bill was a fraud?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you immediately kind of said, hey, I'm not taking this bill. MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You knew the store policy at that time, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And the store policy being if you took a counterfeit bill, that was became your responsibility?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And so that would get deducted from your paycheck, in other words?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you have some sort of like store tab where you could buy merchandise yourself at the store or services, we get deducted from your salary.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. And so that interaction with that other individual proximately was it earlier in the day? Was it you know, few minutes before you interacted with Mr. Floyd? How long before did that happened?
MARTIN: Earlier in the day.
NELSON: So both Mr. Floyd and that individual had been in the store earlier in the day as well, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And was that an hour or two hours? Do you recall?
MARTIN: I do not recall.
NELSON: And, but you remembered him when he came back in the store later in the afternoon?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You remember he was the guy that had tried to hand you a counterfeit bill from earlier?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: He hadn't changed his clothes didn't look any different.
MARTIN: I think so.
NELSON: OK. And so when Mr. Floyd and this other individual came back in the store, we observed to kind of have him walking around the store, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you were helping other customers, you were talking to your coworkers, it's fair to say you weren't paying a lot of attention to what Mr. Floyd was doing at all times he was in the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: But now that you've had an opportunity to see the video, you get to see some of his other interactions and things of that nature right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Now, there were other customers in the store stores are pretty busy store, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And your manager that you talk to did you notices that he had what appeared to be a pistol in his?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Do you know him to carry a firearm at the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And the when you watch the video, did you see Mr. Floyd sort of do some little dance at one point?
MARTIN: No.
NELSON: OK, we'll come back. You didn't observe that when he was in the store?
MARTIN: No.
NELSON: And if it's on the video, it would be on the video right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Again, so at some point, Mr. Floyd appeared to purchase some food as well, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: That being a banana looked like in the video.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Did you sell him a banana?
MARTIN: I did not recall.
NELSON: OK. And when he handed you that $20 bill, you testified that you immediately knew it was a fake? MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Did it appear to be the same type of fake or maybe even the same counterfeit bill that you had refused earlier in the day?
MARTIN: Correct. It did appear to be similar.
NELSON: And you took that bill and you held it up, and you kind of looked at it through the light, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: What were you looking for?
MARTIN: That's a good question. I have no idea. I'm just looking at it. I don't know.
NELSON: But you immediately recognize that to be a counterfeit?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And, you know, some bills have like metal or some sort of a stripe through it, have you been looking for something like that?
MARTIN: I'll be honest I don't know what I was looking for I just knew it was fake.
NELSON: You could tell based on the texture of the bill?
[12:25:00]
MARTIN: And the color of it, as I stated earlier, yep, that blue pigment.
NELSON: So and you have had a pleasant interaction with Mr. Floyd?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You were asking him about sports and things of that nature, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you formed the opinion that Mr. Floyd was under the influence of something.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you base that on? Sort of, I think you said a delay in his speech and response, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: So you were had, unlike our conversation that we may be having right now. That's rapid. And if you asked him a question, there would be much more of a slowed or delayed response. MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And I believe in your interviews, you also indicated that he was having some trouble with certain words?
MARTIN: Correct. He was trying to form the word.
NELSON: So he was delayed in his speech, and you believed him to be under the influence of something.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you were present when your coworker called 911?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And do you recall him telling 911, that he appeared to be under the influence?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you had also had, by the time 911, was called who'd had two other interactions with Mr. Floyd outside of the car?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: All right. And so you made the decision after Mr. Floyd handed you this counterfeit $20 bill, that you weren't going to call him out on it, like you did with the earlier bill.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And was that in part because he felt maybe he's under the influence?
MARTIN: Partially, partially, the other person that had come in, it kind of seemed like he was trying to scheme like, he knew it was a fake bill and he was trying to get over. I thought that George didn't really know that it was a fake bill. So I thought I'd be doing him a favor.
NELSON: OK, try to help him up. And could you have, I'm just asking, generally, could you have just let it kind of go, and then told your manager later, hey, put it on my account.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And but you made the decision to talk to your manager showing the bill, and your manager instructed you to go talk to Mr. Floyd and his friend out in the car.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: So when you went out to the car the first time with your first co worker, you had a relatively short conversation with, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you went to the passenger side of the vehicle, and the person in the red pants on the white T-shirt? That was the same person that had previously tried to pass the fake $20 bill?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you were encouraging them to come into the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You were kind of saying he got to come in you paid with the fake bill; we got to deal with this, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: You specifically told them that he had used a counterfeit bill.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And that they needed to come in and either pay for the cigarettes, or talk to my management or--
MARTIN: Talk to my manager.
NELSON: --or talk to the manager, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: OK. And how would you describe the general tenor of that conversation? What I mean by that is, was it pleasant? Or was it more aggressive?
MARTIN: It was pleasant, wasn't in any way shape or form aggressive? It was just pretty annoying.
NELSON: Yes, just come on, in guys. You got it was - your first attempt to kind of say, hey, come on in guys. You got to deal with this, right.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And so and you were trying to be polite to these gentlemen.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: Right. And you then had that conversation. And during that first conversation, you said that Mr. Floyd was not really speaking to you right?
MARTIN: No.
NELSON: And you said that he was kind of putting his hands up and putting his head back and things of that nature, right?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you then went back into the store, talk to your manager again, and told him they were not agreeable to coming into the store.
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And the second time you left the store you were sort of following the other coworkers agreed?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you would agree that that video sort of showed the three of you almost run out of the store?
MARTIN: Correct.
NELSON: And you were - you wanted to get them before they drove away right? Why would you run the second time?
MARTIN: Correct.
[12:30:00]
