In Wisconsin, Milwaukee Hotel four Hyatt Regency staff members are accused of killing a guy who was acting strangely in the foyer of the hotel.
D’Vontaye Mitchell, aged 43, dashed into a women’s restroom before staff extricated him, assaulted him, and restrained him face-down for approximately eight to nine minutes, according to court filings.
When Milwaukee police arrived on June 30, Mitchell was pronounced dead after being discovered not to be breathing.
The post-mortem examination revealed that Mitchell succumbed to “restraint asphyxia and the toxicological effects of cocaine and methamphetamine,” with an additional note of his morbid obesity.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee County district attorney’s office issued arrest warrants for the four now-ex-employees.
The accused include two security personnel: Todd Alan Erickson, 60, and Brandon LaDaniel Turner, 35, who was not on duty during the incident. Also charged are Devin Johnson-Carson, 23, a front desk agent, and Herbert Williamson, 53, a door attendant, as documented in court records.
If found guilty, each defendant may spend a maximum of 15 years and 9 months behind bars.
The whole thing started when Mitchell acted strangely when he first arrived at the hotel and ended with him trying to hide in different places.
He entered the hotel’s gift shop, then the women’s restroom, where he attempted to lock himself in. Turner recounted hearing women screaming within the restroom.
Surveillance footage depicted hotel staff forcibly removing Mitchell from the restroom and dragging him through the lobby.
Court documents detail that two employees repeatedly struck Mitchell while another kicked him. Bystander video captured employees commanding him to “stay down” and “stop fighting.”
Erickson informed investigators that Mitchell had attempted to bite him.
Audio from an onlooker’s video records Mitchell apologizing during the confrontation.
One employee noted Mitchell’s difficulty in breathing and his pleas for assistance, as per the charge sheet.
Ben Crump, the attorney representing Mitchell’s family, remarked, “Mitchell was experiencing a mental health crisis. Instead of performing their duty to protect and serve, the security officers and other Hyatt staff employed excessive force, resulting in his death.”
During a news appearance on Tuesday, Deasia Harmon, the widow of Mitchell, expressed gratitude for the charges, saying, “I just want everyone to be held accountable.”
Aimbridge Hospitality, the company managing the hotel, previously announced the termination of several employees following Mitchell’s death.
For more latest news checkout our website: latestglobalinsight