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Police Investigate Death of Burtonsville Man

For Immediate Release: Friday, May 15, 2015

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police - Major Crimes Division are investigating the death of Dajuan Graham, a 40-year-old male, who died on Tuesday, May 12. Police came in contact with Mr. Graham on Sunday, May 10 at approximately 10:38 p.m., in the 13900 block of Castle Boulevard in the Briggs Chaney area of Montgomery County. An autopsy has been performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. The results are pending.

On May 10 at approximately 10:38 p.m., while conducting a traffic stop in the Briggs Chaney Shopping Center, a 3rd District police officer was approached by four individuals who told the officer that there was an unclothed male subject walking north on Castle Boulevard. These individuals also told the officer that the subject was acting erratically and that based on his behavior, they believed that he was possibly under the influence of PCP.

When a backup officer arrived at the traffic stop, the first officer advised the backup officer what the passersby had told him.  Both officers drove toward Castle Boulevard, which is adjacent to the shopping center. One of the officers observed a woman waiving her arms in an attempt to stop the officer. The officer stopped, exited his vehicle, and saw that the woman was standing next to a male later identified as Dajuan Graham. Mr. Graham was standing in the southbound lanes of Castle Boulevard. The woman told the officers that she had seen Graham walking north in the southbound lanes of Castle Boulevard and fearing for his safety, she asked him to leave the roadway but he refused to listen to her. The woman approached Graham to further her efforts to have him leave the roadway. Graham then punched the woman in the face, causing a cut to her lip. The woman then backed away from Graham and called police. The woman also advised the officers that she believed that Graham was under the influence of PCP.

One of the officers advised the dispatcher via his police radio that he was in contact with Graham, that Graham had assaulted a woman, and that an Advanced-Life-Saving (ALS) ambulance was needed for Graham due to the possible presence of PCP in his system.

The officers then approached Graham, who was again standing in the southbound lanes of Castle Boulevard with his hands inside his shorts pockets. The officers noticed that Graham began to breathe heavily through his nose and make snorting and grunting noises. For safety concerns, Graham was asked four times by the officers to remove his hands from his pockets.  This was so the officers could verify that Graham did not have any weapons.  He refused to comply and continued to grunt, raise and lower his shoulders, and assumed a threatening stance. The officers told Graham that if he did not remove his hands from his pockets, they would use the Taser. Graham would not comply with the officers’ directions and fearing for their safety, one officer deployed his Taser one time. The Taser probes contacted Graham in the right abdomen and the right upper thigh. Graham went to the ground, and the officers placed him in custody. They immediately placed him in the recovery position on his side. The ambulance arrived at 10:56 p.m., and transported him to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, arriving at 11:16 p.m.

During treatment at the hospital, Graham’s handcuffs were removed at the request of the medical staff. As this was occurring, Graham assaulted the officer and hospital security staff, injuring the police officer. The officer left Graham in the care of medical staff and security personnel. At no time when officers were interacting with Graham was he unconscious; in fact at the hospital, Graham was making statements and utterances.

On May 11 at approximately 3:53 p.m. he was transferred to the Cardiac Care unit. This was due to an elevated heart rate and the fact that he was perspiring heavily.

On May 12 at approximately 9:42 p.m., two days after being transported to the hospital, he suffered a medical event and was pronounced deceased.

The patrol officers involved are assigned to the 3rd District Station.  They are being identified as Officer Nathan Kane, hired in January of 2007 and Marco Aguiniga, hired in August of 2013.

This remains an active investigation and detectives, per departmental protocol, continue to investigate the death of Dajuan Graham.

PRS

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Release ID: 15-142
Media Contact: mcpnews 
Categories: press-releases