Disturbing footage shows a terrified autistic 19-year-old desperately asking cops to listen to him before he hit his head repeatedly on his cell door and died in custody.
Isaiah Trammell, was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio after he was arrested following a mental health episode in March, 2023.
In surveillance videos obtained by The Columbus Dispatch, officers are seen telling Trammell he was ‘ridiculous,’ ’embarrassing’ and ‘acting like an a**.’
He was strapped into a restraint chair twice and threatened a third time if he did not calm down.
But Trammell responded to the threats by banging his head on the cell door and screaming: ‘Let me out’
Isaiah Trammell, was taunted, belittled and threatened by nine guards as he begged for his medication at the Montgomery County Jail in Ohio in March, 2023
No one listened as Trammell asked for his medications, a phone call and a blanket, according to the Dispatch.
Less than 10 hours after he arrived in jail, Trammell was being taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Trammell died three days later, with the coroner ruling it a suicide.
The young man had been banging his head repeatedly before he was booked and throughout the night.
He told police head-banging was ‘the only way I know to get rid of the crazy in my head.’
Trammell’s heartbroken mother Brandy Abner told The Columbus Patch that Trammel had a history of banging his head as a coping mechanism.
Previously, his family had called for help and he had stayed in the hospital for days.
Less than 10 hours after he arrived in jail, he was being taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Trammell died three days later, with the coroner ruling it a suicide
‘Like we always call when he begins to rage,’ Abner said. ‘It’s a mental health call, it’s not an “arrest me” call.’
During his last episode, a neighbor called police complaining about noise, and while checking on Trammell, cops found an arrest warrant for him for a misdemeanor domestic violence incident a year prior.
Trammell and his family reportedly did not know about the outstanding warrant, which his mom said stemmed from another mental health crisis.
The young man reportedly told officers in his time in custody that he had ADHD and that he did not want to live.
Trammell was put on suicide watch, meaning he was trip-searched, given a suicide-resistant gown, blanket and mattress and isolated in a safe cell.
However, according to the Dispatch, officers did not give Trammell a mattress or blanket.
The young man had been banging his head repeatedly before he was booked and throughout the night
‘He hated his body to be exposed and he kept telling them. He hated to be confined. Absolutely that would trigger him,’ his mother said.
Officers allegedly kept him on the restraint chair for more than an hour, which is against Ohio standards for restraints.
The cops also continued to threaten to put Trammell into the chair a third time. The chair is supposed to be a last resort and used after providing medication.
When one officer said they couldn’t use the restraint chair, another cop replied: ‘Just put the chair in front of his fu***** cell so he stops. Give him a constant reminder.’
The Montgomery County Jail Coalition has called on 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 banging his head as a coping mechanism
‘Isaiah would be alive today had he been treated with dignity and respect in the jail by staff concerned for his health and well-being. Instead of listening to his cries for medication he was laughed at and ignored. We need accountability for what happened to him,’ said Yvonne Currington, retired nurse and Jail Coalition member.
The Sheriff’s office told Dayton Daily News on Monday that ODRC’s Bureau of Detention found no ‘deficiencies’ in how the sheriff’s office handled his death.
‘Medical and mental health providers at the jail provided treatment to Trammell from the time he was booked into jail until he was transported to a local hospital,’ said the sheriff’s office spokeswoman Christine Bevins.
‘Although people facing charges for violent crimes shouldn’t be released to society to deal with, our community needs a medical facility with a lockdown unit that can better handle those who are in crisis.’