The family of an Ocoee man who fell into a coma last month soon while in custody of the Orlando Police Department announced Thursday they had hired civil rights attorney Ben Crump in their quest for answers — and hours later the department released body-worn camera footage of his arrest.
It’s still unclear what happened on the night of March 27.
At around 10:22 p.m., Terry Mitchell, 55, was stopped by police while driving on Washington Street near Dollins Avenue minutes from downtown.
What began as a stop over an unworn seatbelt quickly escalated to a struggle, as Mitchell resisted being handcuffed for several drug charges after police claimed they found cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in his car, according to his arrest affidavit.
The department said in a statement they suspected Mitchell swallowed narcotics as he was chewing on a “plastic item” and refused to spit it out. There was also “an unknown white substance in and around” his mouth that tested presumptive positive for cocaine, the affidavit said.
A cellphone video taken by his girlfriend Chambre Frazier and shared with news outlets shows him being led toward a patrol car while asking that she contact his employer.
“He wasn’t fighting for his life when he left,” Frazier said.
Mitchell arrived at the Orange County Jail and was turned away by medical staff after he began spitting blood with no explanation. Mitchell was then taken to the AdventHealth hospital in Millenia, where by 11:50 p.m. he was unresponsive.
According to his family, doctors explained it was the result of a traumatic brain injury.
On Thursday, Crump, alongside Frazier and Mitchell’s family, called a press conference at the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church in Eatonville to pressure OPD for answers, saying it had been nearly a month and no one had explained what took place that night.
“What happened to Terry Mitchell?” Ben Crump asked, arms locked with his family as they entered the temple to face reporters.
Hours later, OPD released videos of the incident showing Mitchell’s arrest, the trip to the jail and later what took place at the hospital, accompanied by a statement that largely mirrors what was stated in court filings. The department also announced an internal investigation into the incident is underway.
The footage shows Mitchell at the hospital struggling with officers as they held him down while doctors looked to treat him. He was later brought to the ground and propped up on his side when an officer bent over to look at him.
“Is he breathing? Something don’t look right. Check a pulse,” one officer said. Seconds later, he exclaimed, “Hey, get a doctor!”
“Why, what’s up?” a hospital worker replied. “I don’t know,” the officer said, “he don’t look right.”
The affidavit does not explain what led to his injuries, only that at some point officers vaguely described executing a “coordinated arrest technique to place Mitchell on the ground,” which was captured on video released by OPD. It also describes him having the substance in and around his mouth.
In one video clip, an officer claimed that the blood coming from Mitchell’s mouth was from a self-inflicted injury that occurred at some point after he was handcuffed and placed in a patrol.
“Possibly due to the ingestion of suspected illegal narcotics, Mitchell experienced a medical emergency and remains hospitalized,” OPD’s statement read.
A spokesperson for Crump did not respond to a message seeking comment on the videos’ release.
If he survives, Mitchell, described by loved ones as a working man and a joyful father of two daughters, might never be the same.
“We’re praying for a miracle,” his mother, Rosa Richardson, told reporters.
Mitchell’s family said they were not notified of his failing health and hospitalization until days later, after he didn’t appear in court for his first hearing before a judge. While court records say his presence was waived for “medical” reasons, his family claims they were told he was being “uncooperative.”
It wasn’t until March 31, four days after he fell ill, that they said OPD confirmed he was in the hospital. OPD did not address that claim in its statement nor when asked by the Orlando Sentinel.
“They told us if it was life-threatening that we would have known,” Frazier said. “It wasn’t until April 1 that [the jail’s] medical department reached back out and told us that they needed to speak to next of kin.”
Alongside Crump, whose law firm previously represented the families of people injured or killed by Orlando officers, the family met with OPD officials following the press conference.
“A family should not have to call a civil rights lawyer to get answers,” said Natalie Jackson, a partner of Crump’s law firm.