Baltimore Officials Promise Investigation Into Death of Man After His Arrest
Some of the other reporting suggest the suspect was put in a boston crab type position at some point. Dunno, what really occured in the paddy wagon at this point.
Posted on 04/21/2015 5:14:12 AM PDT by Theoria
Baltimore's mayor, police officials, and prosecutor sought to calm their city Monday, while six officers were suspended as authorities investigated how a suspect suffered a fatal spine injury in police custody last week.
A week after Freddie Gray, 25, was pulled off the street and into a police van, authorities don't have any videos or other evidence explaining what happened to cause the "medical emergency" an arresting officer said Gray suffered while being taken to the local police station, Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said.
The Gray family's lawyer, Billy Murphy, had said that Gray's "spine was 80 percent severed at his neck."
Autopsy results returned Monday show that Gray "did suffer a significant spinal injury that led to his death," Rodriguez said. "What we don't know is how he suffered that injury."
In a police report obtained by The Baltimore Sun, Officer Garrett Miller wrote that police on bike patrol stopped Gray April 12 after he was seen fleeing "unprovoked upon noticing police presence." Police said a knife was found clipped to Gray's pants pocket and he was arrested on a weapons charge.
The video taken by a bystander of the arrest does not show the injury occurring, but did capture four police officers dragging a screaming Gray to a police van.
On Monday, police released a more detailed timeline that revealed that Gray was placed in leg irons after an officer felt he was becoming "irate," and that the van stopped on its way to the police station, even picking up another prisoner in an unrelated case, while Gray repeatedly asked for medical attention.
"During transport to Western District via wagon transport the defendant suffered a medical emergency and was immediately transported to Shock Trauma via medic," Miller wrote in the report.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Baltimore Officials Promise Investigation Into Death of Man After His Arrest
Some of the other reporting suggest the suspect was put in a boston crab type position at some point. Dunno, what really occured in the paddy wagon at this point.
There is no excuse for this to have happened. Real travesty, but just another step into the abyss.
Leaving when one sees the police isn't a crime. Neither is carrying a pocket knife. And they killed him for it.
looks really bad but lets wait for the facts. crazy things can happen that seem obvious at first
I wonder if he got the old Baltimore PD “nickel ride?”
They would toss the handcuffed prisoner into the back of the paddy wagon. The wagon had hard wooden benches on both sides and one down the middle. The driver would swerve all over town, throwing the prisoner against the hard benches. With his arms cuffed behind his back, the “nickel ride” would guarantee injuries. A beating or worse. At the jail, the cops would pretend to be surprised. A Baltimore tradition, in the old days.
See #5.
He was walking when they stopped him. He wasn't walking when the got to the police station. It's hard to see how it couldn't be related to what the police did to him in the interim.
Could be that. Could have been the take down or the subduing. I was watching something on the news last night which seemed to indicate he was in pain and having trouble walking on the way to the police van. Regardless, whatever caused it sure looks like it happened when the police had him.
I know. It looks REALLY bad. But we still have that innocent until proven guilt thing going on. Any chance he got out of restraints? If not, six policemen are going to be wearing pinstripes.
I know inn my neighborhood growing up, out of about 20 Italian American friends, the two that jointed the force were the most INSANE
He wasn’t walking when they dragged him to put him into the van. I think his neck had already been broken. He was still able to talk in the van (according to the report), but I doubt he could move.
He was carrying a switchblade fastened to the inside of his lower pant leg. Switchblades are illegal in Baltimore city.
None of this excuses the treatment he received. He shouldn’t have died for carrying a switchblade. I’m not saying that. Just setting the record straight about the knife in question.
Yeah, either before or after the ride in the wagon.
Are they teaching cops to be brutal today? I’m thinking of the guy shot in Tulsa, who after taking a .357 to the chest, had the undercover cop with the arm tats smash his face into the pavement with his knee, while the guy was dying. “I don’t care about your breathing.” Quote to the dying man.
See #5. If the injury didn’t happen before the paddy wagon, it might have been “the nickel ride.”
Another article I read said was that it was a switchblade.
Legal here in IN, but not everywhere
Just a little local reportage to add some context: apparently there’s a practice in the Baltimore PD known as “driving cowboy”. This is when the driver of a van with prisoners in the back drives recklessly around corners and such, causing the ones in the back (who are not restrained with safety belts, they may be in shackles but apparently there aren’t any safety belts in the back of these vans) to fly around hitting the sides of the van.
So this isn’t looking good for the boys in blue of Baltimore. I just hope the city doesn’t become another Fergeson.
Where did you read about the concealed switchblade? This is what the story says:
“Police said a knife was found clipped to Gray’s pants pocket and he was arrested on a weapons charge.”
I carry a knife like that every day of my life. If I turn away from cops, can they claim I’m running away, catch me, and break my back? (Before or after my “nickel ride.)
See #5, “The Nickel Ride.”
Had to look it up. We had this crazy guy who used to tag along with our boy scout troop and would take us in his van and drive crazy and everybody loved it except for me, who had to get 10 stitches in his head.
could have been much worse. He LOOKED insane and none of the other men and leaders noticed it
But this is definitely on the short list of what happened to him.
I want to see the actual knife, and I want the cops to prove through chain of custody that it was in his possession.
Two points:
1. Just by (lying and) mentioning the word “switchblade” to gullible reporters, “switchblade” is inserted forever into the conversation, true or false.
2. A normal 3” folding knife clipped to his pocket (just like mine) might miraculously become a switchblade after being switched from a cop’s stash of drop-weapons. I want to really examine the chain of custody, get sworn statements, photos etc before I automatically take the cops’ word about a “switchblade” that may or may not have been in the victim’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Sorry I should have specified: it was reported on the radio this morning, on the station 680 AM, WCBM.
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