Baltimore police arrested Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died of a severe spinal injury a week after being taken into custody, for the alleged possession of a switchblade, according to a charging document obtained by msnbc.
Gray “fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence,” according to the document, written by Officer G. Miller. “The defendant was apprehended in the 1700 block of Presbury St. after a brief foot chase. This office noticed a knife clipped to the inside of his front right pants pocket. The defendant was arrested without force or incident. The knife was recovered by this officer and found to be a spring-assisted, one hand-operated knife. During transport to Western District via wagon transport the defendant suffered a medical emergency and was immediately transported to shock trauma via media.”
The charging document was filed at 11:25 p.m. ET on April 12. A court date was set for May 22, 2015, according to the document. The maximum penalty for the switchblade charge is one year in prison and a $500 fine. Gray, who was born August 16, 1989, was five 5 feet 8 inches tall, and he weighed 145 pounds, according to the document.
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The Baltimore Police Department has handed over its investigation of the arrest and subsequent death of 25-year-old black man Freddie Gray to the state attorney’s office, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said during a press conference Thursday. The report will not yet be made public, however.
“This does not mean the investigation is over,” Batts said, noting that the police task force completed the investigation a day ahead of the deadline he set. “If new evidence if found, we will follow it. If new direction is given by the state attorney, we will obey it.” State Attorney Marilyn Mosby will determine whether or not to charge the six officers who have now been suspended for their involvement in Gray’s arrest.
As the State’s Attorney conducts her investigation, @TheJusticeDept is conducting another outside, independent investigation
— Mayor Rawlings-Blake (@MayorSRB) April 30, 2015Her husband Nick Mosby is a Baltimore city councilman.
Baltimore Police on Thursday revealed the location of a second of three stops during his transport and explained that new evidence of that stop was discovered recently during the investigation, Deputy Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.
The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that a prisoner who reportedly shared the police transport van with Gray upon Gray’s April 12 arrest told investigators he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the van and believed Gray “was intentionally trying to injure himself.”
The account comes from a police document obtained by The Post on condition of the prisoner’s anonymity “because the person who provided it feared for the inmate’s safety.” The anonymous prisoner is currently in jail and could not see Gray in the van as the two were “separated by a metal partition.” Msnbc has not independently verified the report.
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Jayne Miller, an investigative reporter for WBAL, refuted the report. “The medical evidence does not suggest at all that he was able to injure himself,” she said on msnbc’s “Morning Joe” Thursday. “With the force of this injury akin to the force involved in a car accident, with all the momentum going … that is much more force than you would get trying to bang your head against the wall of the van.” She added that WBAL’s reporting does not corroborate the Post‘s article.
Protests resumed late Thursday afternoon in Baltimore, where hundreds of demonstrators marched from the west side of the city toward City Hall.
Peaceful demonstrations rolled through Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Denver and Seattle on Wednesday. Groups in New York City, however, clashed intensely with police at times, and more than 100 people were arrested. In contrast, 11 people, two of whom are juveniles, were arrested in Baltimore on Wednesday night. In total since the Monday, 98 officers reported injuries, with 43 requiring emergency hospital treatment, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said on Thursday afternoon. Of those treated, 15 remain on full duty, 15 are on administrative duty, and 13 are out on medical leave.
In addition, 106 out of the 201 people arrested during the immediate hours after Monday’s violence were not yet officially charged and released on Wednesday in accordance with 48-hour constitutional limits. Kowalczyk added that formal charges would be brought at a later date.
Baltimore officials put in place a citywide curfew, which extends from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., on Tuesday. The restriction continues through the week.
Shortly after the curfew fell on Wednesday Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland attempted to urge protesters back on the streets of Baltimore to “go home.” Addressing a crowd not far from his own neighborhood via a bullhorn, the lawmaker said, “I’m not asking, I’m begging. We’ve got to keep the peace.” Skirmishes broke out on the ground despite Cummings’ efforts, as protesters initially refused to go home when a curfew that went into effect on Tuesday began its second night. Eventually crowds there did disperse amid relative calm.
The demonstrations began peacefully nearly two weeks ago. Following Gray’s funeral on Monday, actions escalated to violence against police officers, looting and setting flame to buildings and care.
The Department of Justice has also launched an independent investigation into Gray’s arrest and death.
Rachel Kleinman contributed to this article.
Joy Y. Wang
Joy-Ann Reid
Joy-Ann Reid is host of “The ReidOut” at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. “The ReidOut” features one-on-one conversations with politicians and newsmakers while addressing provocative political issues both inside and outside of the beltway.