January 23rd, 2022 by WCBC Radio

The Independent Investigations Division of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating the death of a man in-custody at a Maryland State Police (MSP) barrack.

On January 21, at 7:36 p.m., MSP troopers conducted a traffic stop on a black Cadillac DTS sedan on U.S. 301 at McGinnes Road. The troopers arrested the driver for possession of a controlled substance and transported him back to the MSP barrack in Centreville. At the time of the arrest, he was conscious and responsive to questions.

About two hours after arriving at the barracks, the driver, who was in a cell, began exhibiting signs of distress and became unresponsive. Troopers notified EMS, who transported him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced deceased at 11:44 p.m.

During the 2021 Legislative Session, the Maryland General Assembly passed SB600, tasking the Office of Attorney General with conducting criminal investigations of all officer-involved fatalities beginning October 1, 2021. These investigations are conducted by the office’s Independent Investigations Division (IID) in conjunction with the MSP.

MSP has issued a protocol for cases that involve MSP personnel. Under those protocols, as soon as practicable after MSP’s initial response, MSP will make every reasonable effort to staff the investigation with MSP personnel who are assigned to a different region of the State. MSP will also conduct a comprehensive inquiry to determine whether any MSP personnel involved in the investigation has a conflict of interest.

There is camera footage of some parts of the incident. The IID will generally release camera footage within 14 days of an incident. There may be situations where more than 14 days is necessary, including if investigators need more time to complete witness interviews, if there are technical delays caused by the need to redact the identities of civilian witnesses, or to allow family members to view the video before it is released to the public.