Disturbing footage shows a terrified 19-year-old autistic man desperately begging police to listen to him before repeatedly banging his head against a cell door and dying.
Isaiah Trammell was mocked, belittled and threatened by nine guards while pleading for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio. He was taken there after he was arrested following a mental health episode in March 2023.
After being fatally injured, he was taken to a hospital where he later died.
In surveillance videos obtained by The Shipment of ColumbusThe officers are seen telling Trammell that he was “ridiculous,” “embarrassing” and “acting like a jerk.”
They tied him to a restraint chair twice and threatened him a third time with serious consequences if he did not calm down.
But Trammell responded to the threats by banging his head on the cell door and shouting, “Let me out.”
Isaiah Trammell was mocked, belittled and threatened by nine guards while pleading for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio in March 2023.
No one listened when Trammell asked for his medications, a phone call and a blanket, according to the Dispatch.
Trammell was then rushed to hospital, where he died three days later, with the coroner ruling it a suicide.
Trammell was taken to jail after neighbors called the police because he had spent the night banging his head against a wall in his home.
He told officers that hitting his head against the wall was: “The “The only way I know to get rid of the madness in my head.”
Officers booked Trammell when they discovered he was wanted on an outstanding misdemeanor domestic violence warrant. He had allegedly abused her sister and her husband.
Trammell’s heartbroken mother, Brandy Abner told The Columbus Patch that Trammel had a history of hitting his head as a defense mechanism, which often led to him ending up in the hospital.
He was unaware of the outstanding arrest warrant against his son.
Less than 10 hours after arriving at the jail, he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Trammell died three days later and the coroner ruled it a suicide.
“We always call when he starts to get angry; it’s a mental health call, not an ‘arrest me’ call,” he said.
The 19-year-old told officers he suffered from ADHD and did not want to live.
Trammell was placed on suicide watch, meaning he was searched during the trip and isolated in a secure cell.
However, according to the Dispatch, they did not give him a mattress, a blanket, or a suicide-resistant gown.
The young man had been hitting his head repeatedly before being reprimanded and throughout the night.
‘He hated that his body was exposed and he kept telling them. He hated being confined. That would absolutely trigger him,” his mother said.
Officers allegedly kept him in the restraint chair for more than an hour, which is against Ohio restraint standards.
The officers also continued to threaten to put Trammell in the chair for a third time. The chair is supposed to be a last resort and is used after administering medication.
When one officer said they couldn’t use the restraint chair, another cop responded, “Just put the chair in front of his damn cell to make him stop.” Give him a constant reminder.’
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition has asked the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) to investigate Trammell’s death.
Trammell’s mother, Brandy Abner, told The Columbus Patch that Trammel had a history of hitting his head as a defense mechanism.
‘Isaiah would be alive today if he had been treated with dignity and respect in prison by staff concerned about his health and well-being. Instead of listening to his cries for medication, they laughed at him and ignored him. We need accountability for what happened to him,” said Yvonne Currington, a retired nurse and member of the Jail Coalition.
The Sheriff’s Office said Dayton Daily News Monday that the ODRC Detention Bureau found “no deficiencies” in the way the sheriff’s office handled his death.
“The jail’s medical and mental health providers provided treatment to Trammell from the time he was booked into the jail until he was transported to a local hospital,” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Christine Bevins.
“While people facing violent crime charges should not be released to society for treatment, our community needs a medical facility with an isolation unit that can better handle those in crisis.”
