Six months after Baltimore County Police Officer Derek Hadel punched Samuel “Big Sam” Brown during a February wellness check that led to Brown’s death, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said his office will not prosecute Hadel.
“After completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the subject officer did not commit a crime under Maryland law,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement Thursday.
According to the office’s declination report — an official document explaining why the attorney general decided not to pursue charges — there was not enough evidence to prove that Hadel should be charged with assault, involuntary manslaughter or violating Maryland’s use-of-force statute.
“Based on the circumstances surrounding the subject officer’s use of force, we cannot prove that his decision to punch Mr. Brown was a disproportionate response to the threat presented,” the report says.
Before the officer’s blows, body camera footage released in March by the attorney general’s office shows Brown — who police said was found to have a blood alcohol level of 0.26 — swatting away Hadel’s arm twice and swinging at the officer.
Hadel then shouts as he punches Brown twice in the face: “Get in your f---ing car, sir! Get in your car!”
Brown, 56, is shown on the ground as a pool of blood gathers at the back of his skull. He died 10 days later, on Feb. 27, after sustaining permanent brain damage.
Two weeks after the body camera footage was released, Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Brown’s death a homicide.
Baltimore County Police spokesperson Joy Lepola-Stewart said in a statement: “The Baltimore County Police Department is aware of the Independent Investigations Division’s report detailing this matter, including the investigative process and findings that determined Officer D. Hadel did not commit a crime under Maryland law. Officer Hadel remains a dedicated and valued member of the Baltimore County Police Department and is currently assigned to the Administrative and Technical Services Bureau.”
Per department policy, Lepola-Stewart said, a separate administrative review is pending. Hadel, 32, is a nine-year veteran of the department.
Doug Jess, president of the county’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4, declined to comment. He had asked the public to withhold judgment until the attorney general’s investigation concluded.
Brown’s family and his longtime friend and collaborator Roberto “DJ Quicksilva” Silva were not immediately available to comment.
Family attorney Billy Murphy previously told The Banner that Hadel had escalated the encounter with Brown.
“You can see that Officer Hadel, instead of de-escalating the situation as required by Baltimore County Police Department policy, chose to escalate the situation illegally by sucker punching Big Sam in his face,” he said during a news conference in March.
This story will be updated.





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