2023-11-04 01:03:00
BALTIMORE — The attorney for the family of Paul Bertonazzi has shared police body camera video of his interactions with police with WJZ’s media partner the Baltimore Banner.
Bertonazzi, 63, died after he was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in January, according to authorities. Bertonazzi was taken to the hospital on Jan. 7 for an evaluation. He died there on Jan. 12, police said.
But his death wasn’t ruled a homicide until Nov. 1.
Doctors determined that Bertonazzi died as a result of trauma to the body.
His spine had been severed, according to a police incident report reviewed by the Baltimore Banner.
The report states that Bertonazzi complained about neck pain. An autopsy showed that he had a preexisting “curvature” of the spine, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Prior to the trip to the hospital, Bertonazzi had been threatening to harm himself and other people, police said.
On that day, officers were sent to a restaurant in the 1200 block of Orleans Street. Medics were sent there to help Bertonazzi, too, but he became combative and refused their assistance, according to authorities.
There are hours of video of Bertonazzi talking with Baltimore Police officers at a Burger King on Orleans Street. During that time, he complained about experiencing pain while handcuffed, the Baltimore Banner reported.
The Baltimore Police Department’s Special Investigation Response Team responded has been investigating the death of Bertonazzi.
Additionally, the Office of the Maryland Attorney General’s Independent Investigations Division was contacted, however, they concluded that the incident was not a police-involved death.
The Office of the Maryland Attorney General said in a statement on Thursday that a review of body-worn camera and surveillance camera footage led investigators to determine that Bertonazzi was not in police custody when he was fatally injured.
That is why the Independent Investigations Division is not investigating the incident as a police-involved death, according to the Office of the Maryland Attorney General.
CBS Baltimore Staff
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