BALTIMORE – A man who was shot and killed by an Anne Arundel County police officer last January repeatedly punched and bit the officer, according to the newly-released report conducted by the Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Office of Attorney General.
Based on the report, the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office decided not to prosecute the case.
According to the report, officers responded to a home on Danville Court on Jan. 30. Police burst into the house and ran upstairs to where 20-year-old Dyonta Quarles Jr. would not let his mother leave.
The report revealed that Quarles initially got down and complied with officers’ commands, but then as officers approached him, he got up and ran out of the bedroom and tackled Anne Arundel County Officer Jonathan Ricci and repeatedly punched him.
The report also said that officers pulled Quarles off of Officer Ricci, and as they were placing on handcuffs, Quarles bit down on Officer Ricci’s fingers without letting go. That’s when Officer Ricci pulled out his gun and shot and killed Quarles.
Officer Ricci, who was in and out of consciousness, was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries, according to the report.
Because the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney’s Office, and not the Attorney General—retains prosecution authority in this case, the report does not make any recommendations as to whether any individual should or should not be charged.
The man’s family filed a seven-count complaint in the United States District Court of Maryland against the police department for what their attorney Gianna Gizzi calls a wrongful death and violation of federally protected constitutional rights.
In April, Quarles family announced its intent to file a federal lawsuit against the police department.