Man who died in Maryland State Police custody suffered seizures before troopers responded, investigation finds

BALTIMORE -- A man who died in the custody of Maryland State Police suffered seizures for nearly 20 minutes before troopers responded to aid him, according to an investigation by the Maryland Attorney General's Office. 

Armar Womack, a 64-year-old man from Delaware, was arrested last January under suspicion of driving under the influence. Alone in a cell at the MSP Centreville Barrack, Womack allegedly took cocaine shortly before suffering seizures and eventually dying. 

In the 34-page report, investigators said the troopers' written descriptions of the incident could be seen as understating Womack's condition and overstating the attention officers were paying to him.  

The Independent Investigations Division of the AG's office is tasked with investigating deaths involving law enforcement in Maryland. The agency provides its findings to prosecutors, who decide whether to pursue charges.  

The Queen Anne's County State's Attorney's Office decided on Dec. 7 not to prosecute the case, about three weeks after it was sent the report. 

Troopers conducting a traffic stop on Jan. 22, 2022, arrested Womack and accused him of possession of marijuana and cocaine. He was conscious and responsive to questions at the time of his arrest, according to authorities.  

Investigators found that Womack fell to the floor shortly after putting cocaine in his mouth, which he allegedly took almost immediately after being left alone. 

Womack allegedly alternated between banging on the cell door and lying on the floor for 18 minutes, suffering multiple seizures, before he "experienced a large seizure," which is when troopers responded and called for medics.

Troopers said in written reports of the incident that Womack was being monitored via video, but investigators found that a corporal tasked with monitoring the cameras often had his back to the screen and was checking his phone. A sergeant was supposed to check on Womack every 30 minutes, but did not, the report said. 

Investigators said the Sergeant's report "understates or omits several indicators of medical distress." The sergeant reported that Womack said he was "fine," but a review of the video showed him to be "shouting and gesticulating emphatically."

Investigators said in a phone call on the night of the incident, the sergeant told a lieutenant that he sent officers into the cell within 30 seconds of Womack falling to the floor. 

Another man brought into the cell allegedly told troopers Womack needed Narcan, but he was instructed to keep quiet, the report said. 

When Womack experienced the "larger seizure," a trooper opened the door and EMS was called. It took paramedics 16 minutes to arrive, but within five minutes of their arrival, Womack was found to have stopped breathing, with no pulse. He was declared dead in a hospital about an hour later. 

An autopsy found Womack died of "Cocaine Intoxication Complicating Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease."