No charges against Camden police officers in fatal 2019 encounter
A grand jury elected not to file charges against officers for the death of a Camden man who died six days after an encounter with Camden County police.
According to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, which investigates any police-involved deaths, Camden County Police Department officers William Grasso and Dachaira Marquez-Guadalupe responded to a residence in Ablett Village in Camden at around 10:46 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2019. The officers, responding to 911 call about a man acting erratically, encountered Rudolfo Pagan.
The 46-year-old Camden man was naked and officers, fearing for the safety of others in the residence and their own safety, attempted to restrain him. Pagan became combative, the release said, and left the residence. Officers handcuffed him and placed him on the ground.
More officers, including Colin Wetmore, Timothy Miller, Deborah Baker, and Justin Goldman, also responded and assisted with efforts to restrain Pagan. Police called for EMS, and Pagan went into cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. He was treated at the scene and taken to Cooper University Hospital in an ambulance for further treatment.
He died there six days later, on Nov. 16, 2019. An autopsy determined Pagan died of complications from cocaine intoxication.
The grand jury, which completed its deliberations Dec. 13, reviewed evidence including body camera footage, forensic evidence, witness interviews and autopsy results, concluding that there would be no criminal charges.
Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has covered Camden and surrounding areas since 2015, concentrating on issues relating to quality of life and social justice for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. She's called South Jersey home since 1971. Contact her with feedback, news tips or questions at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @By_Phaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: No charges against Camden police officers in fatal 2019 encounter
