No charges to be filed in case of Samuel Brown, who died at hands of Baltimore County police
Maryland's Attorney General announced Thursday that he will not seek charges against an officer involved in an encounter in Baltimore County with a man who later died of injuries sustained in the incident.
In March, the State's Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the manner of death for the man who died at the hands of police, 56-year-old Samuel Brown, was homicide. The officer who interacted with Brown during the encounter, on February 16, 2026, was Derek Hadel.
Brown died in the hospital on February 27, two weeks after the encounter with Hadel at an intersection in Woodlawn. Hadel was placed on administrative leave during the investigation by the Attorney General's office.
Body cam footage showed incident
The Baltimore County Police Department released the police-worn body camera footage after Brown's family and friends publicly demanded that it be shared.
Investigators said the Baltimore County officer found Brown asleep behind the wheel at a stoplight in the area of Whitehead Court and Security Boulevard in Woodlawn around 3:30 a.m. on February 16.
The video shows footage of Brown getting out of his vehicle during a conversation with the officer. The video then shows Officer Hadel pushing Brown back two times.
A verbal altercation continues, and Brown is then seen shoving the officer's hands down. The officer is then seen throwing two punches, and Brown falls back and hits his head on the concrete. The Attorney General's report said Officer Hadel requested emergency medical services (EMS) and rendered medical aid to Brown until EMS arrived to transport him to the hospital.
A statement issued by Attorney General Anthony G. Brown concluded by saying that "after completing its investigation and evaluating all the available evidence, the Office of the Attorney General has determined that the subject officer did not commit a crime under Maryland law."
