Coworker Who Claimed Derek Chauvin and George Floyd 'Butted Heads' Abruptly Backtracks

UPDATE 3:00PM 6/11/2020:

David Pinney has contacted CBS to say he confused George Floyd with another co-worker.

In an update to its report on Thursday morning, the broadcaster revealed Pinney made an abrupt backtrack via email.

"I did know Derrick [sic] and he did have those run-ins with my co-worker, it just wasn't George," he wrote.

Reporter Jeff Pegues said he did not know how Pinney managed to confuse the 6'4", 200lb Floyd with someone else, but added that many in the community were unwilling to discuss the incident.

CBS did not specify which parts of Pinney's story were misremembered, including the fight over a check, the claim that they 'butted heads', or his insistence that the two men definitely knew each other.

CBS also published further excerpts from their interview with Pinney, in which he described Floyd as "like a brother" to him.

Pinney did stand over his claim that Chauvin was aggressive with certain patrons.

Original story below 8:00AM 6/10/2020:

Derek Chauvin knew George Floyd -- and had a score to settle with him, a coworker has claimed.

One of the most unsettling details to emerge since Floyd died beneath the knee of the Minneapolis police officer was that the two men may have known each other, having worked security at the same nightclub.

On Wednesday morning, a fellow worker at El Nuevo Rodeo, David Pinney told CBS he had "no doubt in my mind" that Chauvin "knew exactly" who Floyd was, adding that the two even "bumped heads."

"It has a lot to do with Derek being extremely aggressive within the club with some of the patrons, which was an issue," he explained.

He claimed that George worked security inside the club, while Chauvin worked outside, and that the manager of the club would give all the paychecks to the internal staff, who then passed them on to the external staff.

On one occasion — corroborated by Pinney and another staff member — Chauvin took issue with how much he was being paid... and blamed Floyd, who had handed him the check.

Pinney said he then turned his ire on him, and he had to make Chauvin leave the club because of it.

When asked if he had any doubt Chauvin knew Floyd, he replied: "No. He knew him... I would say pretty well."

"No doubt in my mind - he knew exactly who George was," he said.

CBS also spoke to the club manager Maya Santamaria, who confirmed she had hired Chauvin to sit outside the club in his squad car while off duty for 17 years.

Floyd worked security inside for a year. Their shifts overlapped every Tuesday night.

She said Chauvin was aggressive toward minority customers; when asked if she thought Chauvin had a problem with black people, she replied "I think he was afraid and intimidated."

She said the reason she didn't complain was because she didn't want someone worse; Chauvin was actually considered "one of the good cops" as far as the precinct went, and she didn't want him being replaced by "a bully".

Chauvin currently faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges, after kneeling on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest over an alleged fake $20.

He initially faced third degree charges, but Floyd's family are pushing for first-degree, which will require proof the killing was premeditated and intentional.

The three other officers that were involved in the arrest — Thomas Lane, J.A. Keung and Tou Thao — have also been charged with aiding and abetting the homicide.

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