WASHINGTON — The Montgomery County Major Crimes Unit is investigating the death of a 40-year-old man who died Tuesday night, two days after police tased him.
According to a Montgomery County Police Department news release, police were responding to a tip on May 12 that a man, later identified as Dajuan Graham, was walking down Castle Boulevard in Burtonsville, acting erratically and high on PCP.
Upon the officers’ arrival to the 13900 block of Castle Boulevard, a woman flagged them down and said Graham punched her in the face when she asked him to leave the middle of the street. Police say the woman was left with a cut on her lip.
When police finally approached Graham, he continued to stand in the middle of the southbound lane of Castle Boulevard with his hands in his pockets. According to police, officers asked Graham four times to remove his hands from his pockets, but he refused to comply and “assumed a threatening stance.”
That’s when police tased Graham in the stomach and right, upper thigh. Graham then fell to the ground and police arrested him. An ambulance arrived just before 11 p.m and took Graham to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring for treatment.
Graham arrived at the hospital, and police removed his handcuffs while he received treatment. Soon after, police say, Graham assaulted an officer and member of hospital security staff.
According to the news release, police ultimately left Graham with the medical staff and security personnel and at no point was Graham unconscious.
On Monday afternoon, Graham was transferred to the cardiac care unit due to an elevated heart rate. Then, on Tuesday night, he suffered a medical event and died.
Two days later, Graham died.
The department is naming the officers involved as Nathan Kane, hired in January of 2007 and Marco Aguiniga, hired in August of 2013.
Graham has 55 court entries for Maryland and spent time in prison in 2013 and 2014 for various charges including assault, drug possession, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and false imprisonment.
The investigation is ongoing.
