An unnamed suspect remains in the hospital following an incident last week. The man was allegedly seen Thursday going through cars on Milridge Drive. Police tasered the man after he fled the scene then tried to confront the officers. The suspect reportedly fell and hit his head on the road. (Photo submitted)
Law enforcement officials are saying they will review the incident that led to a man’s hospitalization the same way they handle any interaction where an officer uses force.
According to the Marysville Division of Police, a resident from the 1400 block of Milridge Drive called 911 to report a suspicious male at 7:03 p.m. July 16.
The caller said on the 911 call that she believed the male “is high,” adding he was acting erratically and entering vehicles. She said she believed he was attempting to start the vehicles.
Marysville Police Chief Floyd Golden said the man is not being identified because he has not been charged.
In bodycam video, shot from the perspective of Officer Curtis Wykoff, the man can be seen inside a red Ford Fusion on Milridge Drive. Wykoff tells the man to get out of the vehicle. The man removes his shirt, opens the passenger side door and falls from the seat to the ground. The man lays on the ground for a few seconds, jumps to his feet, yells at the officer and runs toward Milford Avenue.
Officer Jake Smith arrives at the scene and drives ahead of the man on Milford Avenue. Smith stops his cruiser, blocking the man and traffic. Smith gets out of his car while the man is still running. The man stutter steps toward Smith who orders him to get down. The man gets down for a moment, then stands up again. Smith tells the man that if he doesn’t get down, he will be tasered. The man steps toward the officer, though it is unclear if he is intending to confront the officer or to run.
Smith then tasers the man, who goes rigid and falls directly backward, hitting his head on the road.
As the man is being restrained, officers call for a medic. The man is handcuffed and hobbled then taken to the cruiser.
Through the entire process, the man is speaking incoherently.
When the medics arrive, they are told “he is on something… probably on meth or something.”
Golden said investigators have requested that information from the hospital, but have not yet received it.
The officers also ask medics to check the back of the man’s head, noting he hit it when he fell.
Paramedics from the Marysville Division of Fire took the man to Memorial Hospital. He was later transferred to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Golden said he believes the man is still in the hospital. He said the man has not been charged yet.
“We have not talked to the suspect yet, primarily because we want to make sure he gets hospital care, which is important,” Golden said. “We are going to talk to him as soon as we can.”
City Law Director Tim Aslaner said that due process requires that once an individual is charged with a crime they have the right to have the process move forward in a timely manner. He said that with the suspect in the hospital still, that could be a problem.
Golden said the incident is currently under investigation.
He said there was damage to the inside of one of the vehicles the male entered and any associated, potential criminal charges would be reviewed throughout the investigation.
Golden said he does not know what, if any drugs the man was on.
Golden said that despite the video footage, it is important to talk with the suspect.
“We would like to at least have an investigator talk to him and he might be able to tell us what happened before the incident,” Golden said.
The witness, whose daughter called police, spoke with police.
The woman said about 6:45 p.m., Thursday, she was going outside to mow her lawn. She said she saw three men, in hoodies.
“I remember, it was really hot that day and it didn’t make sense, they would be in hoodies,” the woman said.
She said she watched as the boys walked through the neighborhood. They leaned on a nearby trampoline, then two of the men left and went into a home across the street.
The witness said the other man went to a black Honda Civic and got in.
When he got out of the car, the woman said he approached her, asking who she was.
“I looked at his eyes and they looked glassy and I said, ‘You get away from me right now,’” the woman said Tuesday.
The woman said the man, “looked high.”
She said the man got in the red Fusion. Her daughter called police saying the man was acting mysterious and attempting to start the vehicle. She told police what had happened and said he was in the Ford Fusion.
“When he was in that red car, he was spazzing out,” the woman said.
She said he got into the back seat then crawled to the front again.
“It was rocking,” she said of the car.
She said he was in the other car for “between five and 10 minutes before police arrived.”
“He was freaking out and then he got calm,” she said.
The woman said she did not see the part where the man was tasered.
“I really didn’t see,” the woman said.
Golden said he has watched the body cam footage.
“When we have a use of force incident, we have a use of force review, which will be done as soon as we have all the information,” Golden said.
He noted that use of force can mean a variety of things, from using a Taser to pulling a gun.