Security guards will not be charged in death of Alonzo Smith
WASHINGTON - Officials say two security guards investigated in the death of a man who died after being taken into custody at a Southeast D.C. apartment building will not face charges.
On Thursday, the mother of 27-year-old Alonzo Smith walked out of the U.S. Attorney's Office feeling disappointed, but not defeated.
"This fight is not over," said Beverly Smith, Alonzo's mother. "It is not over. I am not discouraged."
She says she is convinced that the two special police officers who handcuffed her son that morning used excessive force and Beverly promised to get to the bottom of it through litigation.
"They are still holding back information, they are still not giving me any information and therefore it's a cover-up and they are complicit in my son's murder," Beverly explained.
Back in December, the medical examiner ruled Alonzo's death a homicide. But the U.S. Attorney's Office says rather than excessive force by the two special police officers - Alonzo died from a combination of high level of cocaine intoxication while being restrained.
"The evidence shows that Mr. Smith suffered a sudden cardiac incident that resulted in death," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement Thursday.
According to the evidence, the U.S. Attorney's Office says Smith was shirtless and shoeless as he ran through the Marbury Plaza apartment complex on the morning of Nov. 1 screaming for help and that someone was trying to kill him. Alonzo caught the attention of the special police officers who then followed him.
When he ran inside the building, prosecutors say Alonzo banged on doors and then climbed a ladder that led to the roof. That's when the special police officers grabbed Alonzo in a bear hug, put him on the ground and handcuffed him. Prosecutors also say when D.C. police officers arrived on the scene, they found Alonzo conscious and breathing.
"What she is saying is, when they arrived, he was breathing and he was conscious," said Smith's mother. "I said, 'Well, if that is true, then why did a police officer perform CPR on my son?' It does not make sense. But like I said, it is not over."
Prosecutors say there is no evidence the special police officers punched, kicked or struck Alonzo.
"There is insufficient evidence to pursue federal criminal civil rights or local charges," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in the statement.
The names of the special police officers have never been released. They work for Blackout Security based in Charles County, Maryland. At this time, it is unclear if they are back on the job.