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| Prisoner dies after altercation with officers |
| By Baltimore Sun |
| Published: 05/16/2005 |
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A 51-year-old Randallstown, Md., man jailed at Central Booking and Intake Center in Baltimore on charges of theft and failure to appear in court died yesterday after an altercation with officers that began after he refused to go to his cell, state prison officials said. Relatives of prisoner Raymond Keith Smoot said he was "savagely beaten" by officers Saturday night. At a news conference they arranged at a niece's home, family members provided photos they took after Smoot's initial treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital; the photos show his face covered in bruises, his eyes blackened and blood-soaked gauze in his mouth. "They cracked my uncle's skull," said the niece, Delvonna Smoot. "They crushed his face. This did not look like the Raymond Smoot we knew." Mark Vernarelli, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, said he did not know the nature of Smoot's injuries or what caused them. Smoot's body was taken to the state medical examiner's office for an autopsy. Vernarelli said his department and the Maryland State Police are "committed to getting to the bottom of this quickly and will do a very thorough investigation. If there is any wrongdoing that is uncovered, it will be dealt with swiftly and to the fullest extent of the law." According to Vernarelli, a corrections officer called for assistance after Smoot refused to enter his cell about 6:20 p.m. Saturday and "an altercation ensued." An official with the union that represents corrections officers at Central Booking said last night that 25 to 30 officers were involved in the altercation with Smoot. "The details are very sketchy and there is, of course, a great deal of reluctance to say anything at this point," said Archer Blackwell, a senior staff representative with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. "He may have been acting out, which is not uncommon. And the officers, when summoned to a disturbance or an inmate who acts unruly, their job is to try to restrain them. It's unfortunate that they have to do that and then when something goes wrong, everyone points the finger at them," he said. Blackwell added that the officers at Central Booking often lack specific training on how to deal with a disruptive inmate. |
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