On September 30, 2019 Malad Baldwin was assaulted by the police at his home in front of witnesses. His home is in a relatively nice neighborhood in Antioch. Interviews of family members by the Oscar Grant Committee, were used to create this brief narrative of the events. To date the police have refused to release any police records to Malad or his mother and the officers involved are not known at this time. A complaint has now been filed in an effort to obtain police records.
Apparently, Antioch Police were dispatched due to a call from Contra Costa Fire Dept concerning a man acting unusual, according to the Medical History Report by Sutter Hospital ER Thomas Sugarman MD following discussion with Police.
Malad says he had observed a Fire Truck parked down the street. He claims he did nothing abnormal other than staring although he may have had some mental confusion about what might have happened.
While he was near the street near his home, the fire truck drove passed him and then did a U-turn and parked just down the street again. Apparently, that is when the police were notified.
Earlier, Malad had told his brother Lawrence Adams, his care giver, that he was going for his usual walk. Lawrence watching from his upstairs window above the garage then saw a brief exchange between occupants in a slowly passing fire truck. The firemen seemed to be taunting and pointing at Malad and he heard Malad yell out “why are you here for me? You aren’t here for me! I didn’t call you!”
According to Malad, he remembers a police officer pulling up in a patrol car and and approaching him. Malad remembers that the officer asked, “what you are doing” and I says “nothing, I live here”. Malad said “Am I being arrested” I live right here. The officer then followed behind Malad to the house.
Malad was now on his sidewalk near his front door on his way into his house. Malad describes being pulled by the shoulder. He at first thought it was his brother. However, it was the police officer. Malad is confused about what happened, but he remembers being punched.
He doesn’t remember any commands by the officer. Malad also continues to say, “ I didn’t do anything?” Malad then slips inside house and goes up the nearby stairs to his bedroom. Malad remembers locking his bedroom door. Hearing commotion, Malad leaves his room and from the balcony was calling out to his brother “What is happening?” Now, the Officer goes up the stairs following Malad into bedroom.
Lawrence, meanwhile, had watched the police officer arrive from upstairs window .The police officer never said anything in response to Malad, but closely followed him from behind on the sidewalk and across the street up the driveway while having put on leather gloves.
When Lawrence lost visual contact with his brother, he raced downstairs and opened the front door. There he witnessed the officer, without saying a word, grab Malad’s shoulder and then punch him in his shoulder with his fist driving Malad into the side of the house.
Malad then scurried into house. The officer just watched momentarily while grabbing his taser. Then, without saying a word, he violently pushed Lawrence from the door back into the house so hard that Lawrence staggered far into the dining room.
The officer then went into a crouch position besides the stairway with his red lighted taser held out in front of him at the ready. Lawrence yelled out “You can’t do that. That’s against the law. You have no warrant!”
Officer still in crouch mode then climbed up the stairs. Suddenly, 3 firemen walked into the house. Lawrence is still back in dining room with hands up hoping not to get shot. A fireman tugs on his clothes asking him to come outside. Lawrence says “that’s not right. I am only one here with Malad.”
A fireman then says that Malad called in on himself. Lawrence responds, “That’s not right”. Lawrence then manages to escort the firemen from the house.
As Lawrence was engaged with the firemen just outside the front door, another police officer suddenly appears from behind the firemen with baton drawn pushing Lawrence violently up against the door. Instinctively, Lawrence grabs the baton to prevent any blows.
Then a fireman yells from the doorway, “he’s upstairs” and the officer releases Lawrence, turns and runs upstairs.
Lawrence locks the front door to keep out the firemen.
Lawrence goes upstairs and sees an officer strike Malad with a baton in back of knee. Officer yells for Lawrence to get out of here and Lawrence says, “ I am going to my room”.
There in his bedroom, Malad is assaulted with a baton or flashlight bringing him down to his knees. One officer had a choke hold on Malad and then the other officer brought his knee across Malad’s throat while the other officer handcuffed Malad with his arms behind him.
Hearing the commotion, Malad’s Uncle Martin Parks, who is disabled, came out of his upstairs room to observe the action in Malad’s room. Shocked by what was happening, he saw Malad laying face down on his bed with handcuffs on.
One officer was still holding Malad down, while another officer had his gun drawn pointing at Malad’s head. Martin then heard the officer say at least two different times if you don’t stop struggling, “I will shoot you”.
During his interview, Martin was still quite shaken by everything that had happened. Observing Martin, one officer yelled “ Get the Fuck out! This is none of your business!” Martin went back to his room and called Malad’s mother Kathryn Wade.
Malad was then brought downstairs and outside of his home with both officer’s pulling his arms high above the rear of his head causing excruciating pain and doubling him over as he tried to walk.
Lawrence retrieves his video phone from room and returns to balcony in time to video police hauling Malad down the stairs and out the front door. Police officer slams front door in Lawrence’s face, but he still comes out to video more.
Lawrence says as his brother is at police car handcuffed, he hears officer threaten Malad “ I will shoot you if you are not still.”
After a few minutes, Malad was placed into a police car and then taken to Sutter Hospital for examination although the police refused to tell family where he was being taken. The handcuffs were never removed during about 30 minutes at hospital.
Malad was given several medicines. According to Medical report, Malad claims he was struck in the right Clavicle by a baton and the left knee by a flashlight. Malad tells Thomas Sugarman MD that he has a history of mental illness, around PTSD. Malad is unable to provide further information, but wants his Mother called. Malad repeatedly asks ‘If there a warrant’ and ‘if he is under arrest’. Full ER visit bill is about $3200.
When Malad leaves in police car, Lawrence goes back inside house, only to return shortly when his mother arrives fearing for her wellbeing. Lawrence sees 3-4 firemen acting disrespectful toward his mom such that even one police officer steps in to stop it.
Malad’s mother, Kathryn Wade, was informed of police attack on her son by Uncle Martin Parks via a phone call. She arrived at her home just after the police had left taking her son to Sutter Hospital. Kathryn was told by police that a Contra Costa Firefighter on a passing Fire truck claimed he had seen Malad throw something at a woman and initiated a call to Police.
Kathryn’s pleas for police, quite numerous now, to locate this mysterious woman were ignored as police made no effort on the scene to find such a person despite continued presence of firemen and two of their trucks. Kathryn has been unable to locate any such woman in talking to neighbors.
No one is aware of the reasons for the presence of these fire trucks either before or after incident involving Malad. There didn’t seem to be any medical emergencies or fires, outside of the attack on Malad. Lawrence observes many police officers in area, just talking to each other. Also, there are two fire trucks one of which was partially blocking Kathryn’s car as she drove into her driveway.
From Sutter Hospital, Malad was transferred to Antioch Police Department and later to Martinez Jail. He was eventually transferred to West County Detention Center. After 3 days, Malad was released apparently without any paperwork, charges or notice to appear in court.
The testimony of Malad, Kathryn, Martin and Lawrence are both honest, sincere, emotional and disturbing! See the video interview links.
Rather than treating this call as someone experiencing a medical mental episode, officers physically abused Malad and even Lawrence and entered Mahad’s home without warrant or permission. No one in family gave any permission for police and firemen to enter their home, nor was anyone asked.
Despite there being no reason to believe any crime was happening or had been committed, police used extreme physical force including repeated threats to shoot to kill with a weapon aimed at Malad while he was handcuffed and otherwise restrained.
In reality, the entire family was terrorized including several young children in a separate living room to left of front door by totally unwarranted police brutality against a wonderful family of color.
Police were aware or should have been aware that Malad suffers from some mental illness that may make him unable to rationally respond to police commands when he is confronted with a stressful situation.
In fact, Malad already suffers some mental disabilities the result of an earlier brutal police assault on April 28, 2014. Beaten to unconscious, Malad was found innocent at a trial after he was falsely accused of actually assaulting the police.
The case resulted in a monetary settlement but has left Malad mentally scarred
Funeral Expenses for Malad Baldwin
Interviews of Malad and family by Michael E. Kerr
Cops Will Face Mom’s Distress Claim in Son’s Beating
FULL CIRCLE 08-21-2020 FAIR HOUSING ALSO, THE CASE OF MALAD BALDWIN
Floyd’s death evokes memories of Antioch police case
2020-08-11 Pittsburg: Man Stabbed Multiple Times While Waiting for DMV Appointment
2020-08-14 Thanks for Donation Help
2020-06-09 Kathryn Wade is the mother of Malad Baldwin. She tells the story of Antioch Police attacking her son and officer Calley putting a knee on Malad’s neck until he was unconscious.
2015-10-02 Baldwin v. Colley https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/5914ad8eadd7b04934743085, https://judicialcaselaw.com/courts/cand/cases/4_15-cv-02762-KAW/035114457361 , https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/4:2015cv02762/288628/24/
BALDWIN v. COLLEY BALDWIN v. COLLEY Case No. 15-cv-02762-KAW – April 11, 2017
Baldwin et al v. Colley et al, No. 4:2015cv02762 – Document 24 (N.D. Cal. 2015)
2020-06-09 Antioch Black Lives Matter Student Rally & March Kathryn speaks at Rally
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