John Turscak, 52, a one-time gang leader and former FBI informant, has been charged with the attempted murder of Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty in April 2021 in the high-profile murder case of George Floyd in May 2020.
The incident occurred on November 24 at a federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.
Turscak, who is serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement with the Mexican Mafia, reportedly stabbed Chauvin 22 times.
The prosecution has highlighted Turscak’s past as the leader of a Los Angeles-based faction of the Mexican Mafia during the 1990s. His premeditated attack on Chauvin, about a month in the planning, was motivated by Chauvin’s infamy stemming from his conviction in Floyd’s murder. Turscak initially indicated to FBI agents that his action, executed in the prison’s library with an improvised knife, had symbolic ties to the Black Lives Matter movement, though he later retracted any intention of killing Chauvin.
Chauvin was transferred to the Arizona prison in the summer of 2022, where he is serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, as well as a 22 1/2-year state sentence for second-degree murder. The decision to move him to a high-security prison was influenced by the significant public and media attention surrounding Floyd’s death.
The killing of George Floyd, a black man, on May 25, 2020, gained international attention. Floyd died after Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck for over nine minutes during an arrest attempt. The incident, vividly captured in videos by witnesses, showed Floyd gasping for air and repeatedly saying, “I can’t breathe.” This episode was a catalyst for widespread protests and a global conversation on police brutality and systemic racism.
Turscak, also known by the moniker “Stranger,” became an informant for the FBI in 1997. However, he was later dismissed due to ongoing criminal activities. In 2001, he pled guilty to conspiracy to murder a gang rival and to racketeering charges. Facing charges of assault with intent to commit murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon, Turscak could receive up to 20 years in prison for each count. He is scheduled to complete his current sentence in 2026.