BALTIMORE — Four Baltimore County Police officers have been cleared of wrongdoing connected to an in-custody death earlier this year.
Craig Cousin, 41, died January 10 after suffering a mental health crisis at a fast food drive-thru on Reisterstown Road.
Officers were called to the location after Cousin was seen running naked across multiple lanes of traffic.
Cousin ended up in the drive-thru lane of the Taco Bell, where he punched and shattered the restaurant's glass window.
By the time police arrived, Cousin was all bloodied from the broken glass.
For several minutes officers struggled to restrain Cousin, who at one point defecated on an officer.
With help from his wife and step-father, Cousin was eventually subdued.
Moments later, Cousin passed out with is lips turning blue. His condition briefly improved after receiving a dose of Narcan, but he died on the way to the hospital.
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According to an investigative report from the Maryland Attorney General's Office, Cousin's wife told police on scene, "I don’t know what the f**k he took." She added that [Cousin] "had taken some pills earlier, after work, then began acting erratically including uncontrollably defecating and drinking hand sanitizer."
Despite having an underlying heart condition, an autopsy ruled Cousin's death a homicide by cardiac arrhythmia during restraint.
Toxicology tests for over 1200 known drugs all came back negative. The Medical Examiner, however, could not rule out the possibility of an unknown drug being in Cousin's system.
In declining to charge the officers involved, the Attorney General's Office concluded "there is no evidence that the subject officers intended to use force that exceeded that which was necessary and proportional to restrain and prevent Mr. Cousin from being a danger to himself or others."
The full report can be read here.
