Autopsy Expected Next Week in Baltimore Police Killing of Anthony Anderson: Witnesses say Plainclothes Officer Slammed Black Man Down on his Head

From [HERE] and [HERE] Anthony Anderson is laid to rest days after his mysterious death. Now, people in his East Baltimore neighborhood are rallying for a thorough investigation and justice. Police say the 46-year-old died during a routine drug arrest, but witnesses say his death came as a result of injuries during what they call a violent arrest.

Late night on September 21, Baltimore City police say Anthony Anderson was stopped on suspicion of drug possession. During the arrest, they say he tried to get rid of the pills. “The officers indicated they witnessed him putting what they belief to be drugs in his mouth during that time,” Anthony Guglielmi, spokesman for the Baltimore Police Department, said.

Police claim Anthony Anderson choked. But witnesses who saw the arrest, including family members, say that’s not how it happened. “Picked him up and slammed him on his head,” one witness explained. “Guy never looked back or anything. He didn’t even see the police coming,” Keith Johnson, who witnessed the arrest, said.  Last Friday afternoon, witnesses say Anderson was leaving a bar on Biddle Street, walking across the lot when he was confronted by plainclothes police.

There's no word on what led up to the confrontation, but witnesses say:  “They grabbed him they pinned his arms to the side, and they came straight up, and slammed him on his neck, collar-bone like,” said Dereck Jackson of East Baltimore. Other witnesses have given similar acounts of Anderson being slammed down on his head. [MORE]. They say he went limp, and believe he already was dead when an ambulance picked him up.

Police initially said Anderson died after trying to ingest drugs he was holding, but a preliminary autopsy has found that that is not true. “He did swallow nothing that day,” Tate said. Baltimore City police have since changed their story saying they are unsure how Anthony Anderson died and are waiting on autopsy results.

On Saturday, brokenhearted family members laid Anthony Anderson to rest while his community marched for justice.

“There are far too many people who find themselves victimized by police brutality, excessive force and police killings here in Baltimore City,” Rev. C.D. Witherspoon said.

Witherspoon has been at the forefront of the recent rallies on Montford Street with the community demanding the prosecution of the officers involved during Anthony Andreson’s arrest.

“I seen what they did to my father. I think that was wrong,” Yvonne Anderson said.

Witherspoon believes Anthony Anderson’s death is just one of many caused by police brutality and says it’s time for a change.

“Far too frequently, police officers get off the hook when they harm, brutalize or kill somebody and we want these officers charged with murder,” Witherspoon said.

Anderson suffered at least one broken bone during the arrest.

Robert F. Cherry, the president of the city police union and a former homicide detective, said he had been briefed on the case and was "confident the investigation will show they did not violate any criminal statutes." He said cases involving police are investigated far more aggressively than others due to the intense attention and that the truth would come out.

"This is a tragic incident. Someone's life was lost, but you have to let the investigation take place," Cherry said. "Last time I checked, plenty of our cops have been indicted when it's found they did something wrong."

Neither he nor the agency would identify the officers involved, but Cherry said the union was prepared to defend them.

The case will be an early test for Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts, who was sworn in Tuesday, pending City Council confirmation hearings next month. [MORE]

Anthony Guglielmi, the Police Department's chief spokesman, said that Batts met privately with the officers who were involved in the arrest. They have not been publicly identified, but are suspended as homicide detectives investigate the case. The city police union president said he was confident that the officers will be cleared of wrongdoing. 

Guglielmi said an autopsy could be completed as soon as next week, and should "shed tremendous light" on how Anderson died. Meanwhile, supporters are organizing a march through East Baltimore after Anderson's funeral this Saturday, saying the case highlights ongoing issues of police brutality in Baltimore.