Overview
- On Feb. 16, Baltimore County officer Derek Hadel confronted Samuel “Big Sam” Brown at a Woodlawn intersection and body camera video shows a scuffle in which Hadel punched Brown and Brown hit his head; Brown died at a hospital on Feb. 27.
- The Maryland attorney general announced on Aug. 13 that investigators would not file criminal charges, saying prosecutors lacked enough evidence to disprove the officer’s claim of self-defense and noting the officer’s proximity and training.
- The State’s Medical Examiner ruled Brown’s death a homicide in March, a medical finding that the attorney general said does not automatically prove a crime under Maryland law.
- On Aug. 25 Brown’s family held a press conference at the federal courthouse and filed a federal civil rights lawsuit that accuses the county and the officer of wrongful death, battery, and failures in training and supervision.
- The suit includes Monell claims that seek to show a pattern of excessive force and could force document discovery about department practices; the officer remains on administrative leave and the next steps to watch are the county’s response, pretrial motions, and the department’s internal review.