The Maryland Office of the Attorney General is investigating the death of a man who has died after he was restrained Tuesday night by Gaithersburg police while acting erratically, according to a Thursday statement from Attorney General Anthony Brown.
The man died Thursday in a local hospital, according to the attorney general’s office and Gaithersburg police.
The office’s Independent Investigations Division is looking into the incident as a police-involved in-custody death, the statement said.
In accordance with Maryland law, the division is charged with investigating “police-involved incidents that result in death of individuals or injuries likely to result in death,” according to the attorney general’s office. Investigations focus on the potential criminal culpability of the officers involved in the incident.
According to the attorney general’s office and Gaithersburg police, officers responded at about 10:15 p.m. to the 300 block of N. Summit Ave. “for a man causing a disturbance.”
Responding officers found a man, who has not been identified, lying on the ground in front of an apartment building. According to police, the man was covered in blood and “acting erratically.”
The man then got up and walked away from the apartment building, according to the release. Officers “grabbed the man, placed the man on the ground, and held him” while waiting for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews to arrive, the statement said.
“During this time, the man became unconscious and stopped breathing. Officers began to render emergency medical aid,” the release said. Upon arrival, MCFRS crews took over rendering medical aid and transported the man to an area hospital, where he died Thursday, according to the release.
According to the Gaithersburg police department’s statement about the incident, “officers recognized the man required medical treatment” after he got up and walked away from the apartment building. The statement said the officers held the man while providing “life-saving measures” including the use of an AED, an automated external defibrillator.
Gaithersburg police and the attorney general’s office did not provide details about the type of injuries the man may have suffered or the potential cause of death. The man’s identity also has not been provided.
According to the attorney general’s office, the independent investigations division generally releases the name of the decedent and involved officers within two business days of the incident. That period may be extended, the release said.
Generally, the division will release the body-worn camera footage from the responding officers within 20 business days of the incident, according to the release. Delays in the release of the footage of more than 20 days may occur for a variety of reasons such as investigators needing more time to complete witness interviews, technical delays to shield the identity of witnesses and allowing family members to view the video prior to its public release.
