Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray was ‘trying to injure himself,’ document says

A prisoner sharing a police transport van with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray “banging against the walls” of the vehicle and believed that he “was intentionally trying to injure himself,” according to a police document obtained by The Washington Post.

The prisoner, who is currently in jail, was separated from Gray by a metal partition and could not see him. His statement is contained in an application for a search warrant, which is sealed by the court. The Post was given the document under the condition that the prisoner not be named because the person who provided it feared for the inmate’s safety.

Prisoner in van said Freddie Gray was ‘trying to injure himself,’ document says

My opinion on this will be exactly that, my opinion.

I can't help but think this is some kind of psyop with the intent to vindicate the Baltimore Police Department. This news is too "convenient" if you ask me.

We have an unnamed source who could not see what was going on. I think what he heard was the cops beating Freddy, why do I think that? Because sadly, that is what many police officers do. They beat people regularly, this is a known fact that cannot be denied.

Can I prove that these police attacked Freddy? No I can't.

Can this witness prove that Freddy was intentionally trying to injure himself? No he can't.

Can anyone really prove anything? At this point it seems like we can't.

Now expect a flood of threads saying how Freddy deserved to die due to the word of mouth of another criminal, who for all we know, does not even exist.

The Baltimore Police Department is known to be corrupt to the core and this just seems to fit their prerogative, what better way to improve public relations? All their other attempts have failed.

Sadly, I see much more unrest on the horizon nationwide.

The breaking point is near, if we're not there already.

I read another article claiming Freddie had back surgery a week or so prior to the arrest. Shortly after, that article was refuted and taken down. I think we are going to have a lot of different information coming out in the next few days. However, we probably never know what really happened that night. I agree with you, we are going to see more of this.

Just my two cents, but this sounds to me like the Baltimore PD realized they seriously fouled up ( no real surprise there) and this is just a sorry @$$ attempt to cover their hides. Serious doubts about the validity of this account, for all the reasons OP suggested, as well as my own inherent distrust of anyone wearing a badge. S & F.

Wasn't he limp before he was even in the van?

I've seen a picture of him being carried off and his legs were lifeless.


Or is that photo from after the van ride?



Either way a drug dealer can't be demonised anymore...

They need to have a "self harming spinal surgery ignoring thug" to get on the police's side nowadays!



What a joke.

The only thugs are the ones who killed him.

What about the video that shows him having trouble moving his legs before he was put in the van?

A police officer once told me he had a magic pen.

I know a man's life was lost somehow in this incident, but honestly, I just don't care about speculating about a damn thing anymore.

Too many posts are on information that isnt' accurate--or speculative at best--and most posters tend to disregard the reality that we really should be waiting on investigations and autopsy reports and anything else that will be considered evidence that could actually be used in court.

The only things we know for a fact are (A) a criminal with a long history of arrests was dealing drugs, (B) got caught and taken into police custody, and then (C) he died from a spinal chord injury.

Anything else, really, is just speculation at this point that fuels the fire of division and ignorance. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm just tired of playing along with this ridiculous game of I-have-the-information-first-so-I'm-going-to-believe-it-and-post-it-and-represent-it-as-fact.

We all want justice when/if anyone is wronged, but we need to teach ourselves patience in order to understand as best we can the things that happened to Freddie Gray.

a reply to: real_one

Your propaganda is disgusting. There has been too much speculation regarding these kinds of incidents. All you're interested in doing is vilifying the police and putting a criminal on a pedestal.

It is entirely possible that Gray was trying to hurt himself. It's been done before. Inmates in prison are notorious for self-inflicted injuries.

Corrected!

a reply to: Restricted

You cant be serious, dude died from spinal injuries, now whos making things up.

Its been debunked that he had spinal surgery a week before the incident. So spin away and go repeat was you saw on faux news.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

The only things we know for a fact are (A) a criminal with a long history of arrests was dealing drugs, (B) got caught and taken into police custody, and then (C) he died from a spinal chord injury.

Why was he arrested in the first place? What did he get caught doing? If he was was in possession of drugs, we would have heard about it. He had a knife, but they only found it after he was apprehended, and all reports confirm that he never brandished it.

So what were the charges that justified his arrest in the first place?

a reply to: SlapMonkey

We all want justice when/if anyone is wronged, but we need to teach ourselves patience in order to understand as best we can the things that happened to Freddie Gray.

I feel just the opposite. The speculations are often fascinating for discussion. And when a thread turns to "investigative mode", it's just more interesting.

Nobody seems to be claiming to know the absolute facts, but's it's nonetheless interesting to try to dig up facts and put them together. Besides, take away speculation, investigations and opinions, and you reduce ATS to practically nothing!

Can someone tell me exactly HOW MANY WITNESSES were in the van during Freddie's transport?

I'm getting conflicting reports. Police Commissioner Batts previously stated that the witness claimed there was no erratic driving and that Freddie was mostly quiet.

Now the witness is saying Freddie was banging on the walls?

So...Which is it? (Unless there were two witnesses in the van)

a reply to: Restricted

Your propaganda is disgusting.

What propaganda?

All I did was report post the news, and share my opinion on it.

All you're interested in doing is vilifying the police and putting a criminal on a pedestal.

You are mistaken, I am not putting a criminal on a pedestal as you claim. I could just as easily say you are putting murderous cops on a pedestal but that would be speculation

I just want whoever killed this man to be held accountable, regardless of his past. Just because he was a "criminal" does not mean he deserves to be dead. I've had trouble with the law when I was younger but I turned my life around. You seem to imply that this is impossible, I am living proof that it is possible.

Wanting justice and not buying every bs story the media puts out is not putting him on a pedestal, nice deflection though. I think for myself I don't need habitual liars keeping me informed. I make my own mind up.

It is entirely possible that Gray was trying to hurt himself. It's been done before. Inmates in prison are notorious for self-inflicted injuries.

Perhaps you're one of the ones that has refused to watch the video and rather base your judgement on bias and mainstream news alone?

Did you watch the video?

Do you think he was "faking" his injury?

You dismiss the possibility that he could have in fact been killed by the police because he was a criminal but take the claimed of another alleged criminal (who might not even exist) as the word of god since it fits your agenda?

LOL

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
a reply to: SlapMonkey

We all want justice when/if anyone is wronged, but we need to teach ourselves patience in order to understand as best we can the things that happened to Freddie Gray.

I feel just the opposite. The speculations are often fascinating for discussion. And when a thread turns to "investigative mode", it's just more interesting.



Nobody seems to be claiming to know the absolute facts, but's it's nonetheless interesting to try to dig up facts and put them together. Besides, take away speculation, investigations and opinions, and you reduce ATS to practically nothing!

I agree. I am very intriqued by this whole story.

End the war on drugs would be a good start. Why should Gray been arrested at all--just for suspicion of selling an arbitrarily banned plant?


This is why people really need to think before they yell, "there aught to be a law," because every law they demand will have rough men with guns to enforce it.

Like Garner in NY--he wouldn't have been in the place to be arrested had the people of NY (through their representatives) demanded an excessive tax on "evil tobacco."

The moral of the story is not to support a law that you are not willing to have someone killed over because, ultimately, that is the potential endpoint for any law.

originally posted by: CharlieSpeirs
Wasn't he limp before he was even in the van?

I've seen a picture of him being carried off and his legs were lifeless.


Or is that photo from after the van ride?



Either way a drug dealer can't be demonised anymore...

They need to have a "self harming spinal surgery ignoring thug" to get on the police's side nowadays!



What a joke.

The only thugs are the ones who killed him.

Prior to the van ride he was fully able to stand and turn his head and bend down to step into the van.....



That is him at the end of the news video making its rounds....standing on the platform at the back of the van....not paralyzed. This also tells me he is perfectly capable of faking something, or was just making it harder for the police to move him by not using his legs in the first part of the video.

I can hear it now. the Police saying, " hey if you just tell the media you heard Eddie Gray hurting himself in the transport van, We'll drop all charges against you" Talking to the other prisoner in the transport van. Come On, I don't believe this for a second. Although I dont think we will ever know what exactly happened to Eddie, I sure wouldnt believe another prisoner whom the police have major leverage against this other guy. I call BS on this

The prisoner riding with Freddie could NOT see him so he can not be sure what was going on. I feel sure that Freddie was banging around due to the pain he was suffering. That seems most logical to me.
Secondly, I VERY highly doubt you can bang yourself around enough to severe your own spinal cord - among the other injuries he had.
Thirdly, I believe the police used way to much force on Freddie when they had him down on the ground causing his injuries there. (according to witness video)

Just how was Freddie able to talk with a crushed larynx if nothing happened to him in the van?
He went into the van with a functional voicebox.
It was crushed by he time he went into the hospital.

Haven't you guys ever seen someone bang their heads on the wall and their spine breaks and larynx collapses?

yea, me neither.

Not like they ever get too rough.

I just saw this one, and I almost puked.

You can start at 1:20, or watch it all. Caution its brutal and sickening.