21-year-old Tawon Boyd died at a local hospital on Wednesday, 3 days after an alleged altercation with several Baltimore County Police officers. According to The Baltimore Sun, the incident took place on Sunday morning after officers responded to a 911 call placed by Boyd’s fiancée claiming that Boyd was acting “crazy” and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Boyd’s grandmother, who lived with the couple, said that he “was acting kind of strange like he was on something.” When police arrived at the residence, they reportedly found Boyd looking “confused and paranoid, sweating heavily.” Boyd reportedly banged on neighbors doors and ran to different police cars trying to get inside. By all accounts, Boyd’s behavior was uncharacteristic and peculiar.
A struggled ensued which lead to Boyd being held down by three police officers who restrained him with their arms and body weight. Witnessing the altercation, Boyd’s grandmother and fiancée said that they were afraid he would be hurt and pleaded with officers to stop. “I kept telling them to stop before they hurt him because I told them they could kill him like that,” Boyd’s grandmother said. “They told me to go across the street before they lock me up. Paramedics were eventually called. After administering an unreported substance Boyd became so calm that an officer asked a medic to check his pulse. Latoya Francis-Williams, the families attorney said, “Mr. Boyd was in need of medical attention, and the police responded with violence. The police beat him into intensive care, and now he’s no longer with us.” Officers were not wearing body cameras.
An independent review of Baltimore County Police Department policies has already been requested by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in response to similar allegations of failure to exercise restraint that resulted in the police shooting death of Korryn Gaines.
According to his reports, Boyd also had a 3-year-old son with his fiancée.
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