By Dan Belson
Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE 鈥� of Dontae Melton Jr., who after Baltimore Police detained him while , said they plan to file a lawsuit after investigators conclude their probe of the in-custody death.
Attorney Larry Greenberg said at a Tuesday news conference that Melton鈥檚 family has authorized his firm to sue 鈥渢hose responsible鈥� for Melton鈥檚 鈥渘eedless death鈥� on a hot June night, hours after the 31-year-old approached a police cruiser and asked for help.
| ANALYSIS: What the One Big Beautiful Bill means for first responders
The family鈥檚 decision to take legal action comes after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and after state investigators released of Melton鈥檚 encounter with police on June 24. The footage shows officers detaining Melton 鈥� who authorities and family members say was experiencing a mental health crisis 鈥� as they wait for medics.
The medics didn鈥檛 arrive, and police ultimately took Melton to a hospital, where he died hours later.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday outside Baltimore Circuit Court, Greenberg said that after police had restrained Melton, they 鈥渕ocked him, abused him and left him to die.鈥�
鈥淲e will take full legal action in the court standing behind us, because at some point, this behavior needs to end,鈥� Greenberg said, surrounded by members of Melton鈥檚 family. He did not say who specifically would be named as a defendant.
A Baltimore Police spokesperson said Tuesday that the department wouldn鈥檛 comment on pending litigation. The police department hasn鈥檛 received a full autopsy report regarding Melton鈥檚 death, spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge said, also noting that the Maryland attorney general鈥檚 office is still investigating the matter.
The lawsuit, Greenberg said, would be filed after the attorney general鈥檚 office鈥檚 Independent Investigations Division, which probes fatal encounters with police, concludes its investigation of Melton鈥檚 death. He said the state medical examiner鈥檚 office was 鈥渉onest鈥� in ruling Melton鈥檚 death a homicide, but that there were still loose ends, such as the specific cause of his death.
He called on people who may have witnessed officers鈥� interactions with Melton in Southwest Baltimore to come forward, calling the details released thus far the 鈥渓imited truth.鈥� He said city officials have 鈥渢ried to point fingers at each other鈥� over Baltimore鈥檚 computer-aided dispatch system, an aging emergency communications network that broke down that night.
Authorities have not directly said why medics never responded to the scene, though officials have noted that the dispatch system, which helps public safety agencies coordinate on calls for service, failed that night. Officers are seen on body camera footage becoming increasingly frustrated over the outage and medics鈥� absence.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy because this puts the onus on us now,鈥� one officer says in the footage. 鈥淲e must have requested medics three or four times. 鈥� It鈥檚 just too long. It鈥檚 too long. We have a duty to do our best.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 be clear, (the dispatch system鈥檚 failure is) no excuse,鈥� Greenberg said, noting that Grace Medical Center, the hospital where Melton was eventually taken, is a three-minute drive from the intersection where police encountered the 31-year-old and waited for medics.
鈥淲e live in Baltimore City, we have some of the best medical treatment in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ake him to any one of those hospitals, and it would have kept him alive. But they didn鈥檛 do it.鈥�
漏2025 Baltimore Sun.
Visit .
Distributed by
