Death of man with Down syndrome investigated by Department of Justice

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From My Fox DC:
The Department of Justice is now investigating the death of a Maryland man with Down syndrome who died while in police custody.

The incident happened in Frederick back in January.

Investigators want to know if 26-year-old Robert Ethan Saylor's civil rights were violated.

Three off-duty Frederick County Sheriff's Deputies forcibly removed Saylor from a movie theater when he snuck back in without paying.

Saylor died of asphyxiation after being handcuffed.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22899374/death-of-man-with-down-syndrome-investigated-by-department-of-justice#ixzz2a00ZeQDU

Mom of Man with Down syndrome talks about his death in Maryland Cinema

by Jeremy Meyer from The Denver Post:
Ethan Saylor simply wanted to see a movie one more time.
The Frederick, Md., man had just watched "Zero Dark Thirty" in a theater inside a mall and wanted to see it again.
Saylor, 26, had Down syndrome — a genetic condition that impairs physical growth and intelligence. His condition was likely apparent to the off-duty sheriff's deputies working at the mall on Jan. 12 who were called to remove Saylor because he hadn't paid for another ticket. But those deputies clearly didn't know how to help Saylor work through the issue.
Saylor's aide told them to wait it out. His mother was on the way and he just needed some time. She warned them not to touch Saylor, who could quickly become agitated.
Saylor's mother now believes her son was desperately trying to use his iPhone to figure out how to buy another movie ticket. He didn't carry cash.

Questions haunt family of man with Down syndrome who died in police custody

by Theresa Vargas from The Washington Post:
He was crying out for her.
“Mommy!” someone heard Ethan Saylor scream as three off-duty Frederick County deputies yanked the 26-year-old with Down syndrome from a movie theater seat and dragged him, struggling, toward the door.
Patti Saylor was already in the car on her way to the Regal Westview cinema after getting a call from her son’s 18-year-old aide, saying she was unsure what to do. They had just finished watching “Zero Dark Thirty,” and now Ethan didn’t want to go home. He had hit a Lenscrafter store’s window in protest.
Patti was maybe five minutes away when she called the aide, expecting to hear that Ethan had already calmed down, that the two were fine and eating at McDonald’s. Instead, she was told that Ethan was unconscious, not breathing and on his way to the hospital.
Only this week — after the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office released long-awaited documents detailing its investigation into Robert Ethan Saylor’s death Jan. 12 at the hands of its deputies — would his mother read the witness statements describing how her son had called out for her in his last moments.

Sheriff's Lawyer: Man With Down Syndrome Was Trespassing

from WBAL.com:

A man with Down syndrome who died in police custody in a Frederick movie theater was trespassing when he refused to vacate a seat for which he had not paid, a lawyer for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

Baltimore attorney Daniel Karp said the three deputies who restrained Robert Ethan Saylor took action based on their training and their perception of the situation.

"The management didn't want him there without paying for a ticket. That's trespassing. That's a crime. Not a big crime, maybe - but that's a crime," Karp said in a telephone interview.

Aide to man with Down syndrome who died in theater had warned police, report says

from the Washington Post by Theresa Vargas:
Moments before off-duty Frederick County sheriff’s deputies tried to force a young man with Down syndrome out of a movie theater — a move that eventually led to his death — Robert Ethan Saylor’s 18-year-old aide warned them that he would “freak out” if they touched him.
“Next thing I know, there are I think three or four cops holding Ethan, trying to put him in handcuffs,” the aide told authorities, according to documents from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department obtained Monday by the Associated Press. “I heard Ethan screaming, saying ‘ouch,’ ‘don’t touch me,’ ‘get off’ and crying. Next thing I hear is nothing.”

man with Down syndrome, forced from theater, dies

from the Frederick News Post.com:
State and county officials are trying to determine why a developmentally disabled man died Saturday after off-duty sheriff's deputies tried to remove him from a Frederick movie theater
The Frederick County Bureau of Investigation and the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are investigating the death of Robert E. Saylor, 26, of New Market, after he suffered a medical emergency at the Regal Cinemas Westview Stadium 16, a Frederick County Sheriff's Office news release stated.
Saylor had Down syndrome, according to Cpl. Jennifer Bailey of the sheriff's office.
A theater employee asked the off-duty deputies for help at about 11 p.m., saying Saylor had already watched a movie and was refusing to leave one of the theaters, the news release stated. The deputies were working for Hill Management at the Westview Promenade shopping center.
The employee said Saylor needed to leave the theater or pay for a new ticket, the release stated.
When the deputies spoke to Saylor, he refused to leave and he cursed at them, the release stated. After several minutes, they removed Saylor from his seat to escort him out of the theater.
Saylor continued to resist and was handcuffed, the release stated. When he suffered a medical emergency in the theater, the deputies immediately removed the handcuffs and called for emergency medical assistance.
Saylor was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A cause of death has not been determined, according to the release and the medical examiner's office. Bureau investigators attended the autopsy in Baltimore and were conducting follow-up interviews with witnesses Tuesday.
The sheriff's office did not release information before Tuesday at the request of Saylor's family, Bailey said.

Family says son with Down Syndrome struck, pepper-sprayed by deputy

from Jennifer Jensen from ABC 10 News:

A North County family contacted 10News saying they are outraged after their developmentally disabled son was beaten and pepper sprayed by a Sheriff's deputy.
21-year-old Antonio Martinez was walking to his family's bakery in Vista, just before 8 p.m., when his night took a terrifying turn.
 
10News was there as the scratches on his face and bruises on his arms were still fresh.  They were the painful reminders of what happened to him Tuesday night in Vista.
“He got pepper-sprayed so he's covering his eyes the cop kept saying, ‘get on the floor,’” said witness Melissa Mejia. “He was already on the floor.”
Mejia was working in her family's shop nearby when she heard the commotion.
“He was lying down and the officer had the baton. He kicked him a couple times, like hard,” she added.
Mejia then ran to the bakery and got his older sisters and yelled at the deputy to stop.
“He has Down Syndrome. Stop you know, it’s wrong,” she said she yelled. “He wouldn’t stop, he kept going.”
Nearby, Martinez was visibly upset hearing this and reliving what was being told to 10News.
His father Francisco Martinez showed us the bruises where his son was hit.
10News was there as Sheriff's Department Captain Joe Rodi visited the family after the incident.
“We made a mistake here,” he told 10News.
Rodi said deputies were looking for a man in the area, possibly involved in a domestic violence dispute, when they came across Antonio Martinez.
“As the gentleman walked by, he covered his head with the hood of his sweatshirt,” said Rodi.  “Trying to conceal his identity.”
It was an act which raised the deputy’s suspicion.
When Antonio Martinez wouldn't stop walking away as the deputy called out to him, the deputy took matters into his own hands.
“He pepper sprayed him,”  Rodi said.  “When that wasn’t effective, he hit him with a baton, which put him on the ground, and then a couple more strikes to get his hands free. So they could hand cuff him.”
They got him in the patrol car and realized he had Down Syndrome.
The deputy then drove him to the hospital.
“Why the use of force?,” asked 10News reporter Jennifer Jensen.
“Once he tried to contact the guy again he didn’t know who he was, he didn’t know if he was involved in that domestic violence,” Rodi said.
The Martinez family said they have already contacted an attorney.