Tragic Delay: Baltimore Man Seeks Police Assistance, And Dies While Waiting For Medical Help After Being Placed In Handcuffs

A mother from Baltimore is urgently seeking clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding her son’s tragic death following his plea for police assistance during a mental health episode. The Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division released a preliminary account of 31-year-old Dontae Melton’s in-custody death on June 24.At approximately 9:40 p.m., Melton approached a police officer at a traffic light, exhibiting signs of a mental health crisis by wandering into the road. Despite his request for help, the officer doubted his need for assistance. Although backup arrived, and Melton was handcuffed and restrained, emergency medical services failed to respond promptly due to a dispatch system failure. By 10:30 p.m., police decided to transport Melton to the hospital, where he sadly passed away at 3 a.m. His mother, Eleshia Goode, expressed concern about his deteriorating condition and criticized the lack of effective responses from police amidst their ongoing investigation into the dispatcher’s failure.