Viral video shows bouncer put man in chokehold
By Adam Thompson
Click here for updates on this story
FEDERAL HILL, Maryland (WJZ) — Baltimore police are working to identify a bouncer who was seen in a viral video putting someone in a chokehold outside of an establishment in Federal Hill.
The incident happened in the area of East Cross Street following an argument.
Although police said they have not received any calls or reports related to this incident, detectives are still working to determine what happened and identify the person involved.
In a social media post, Baltimore City Councilman Yitzy Schleifer called for accountability, while tagging both the Baltimore Police Department and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.
“Both Bouncers/Security guards need to be held accountable,” Schleifer said.
Anyone with information about the person’s identity is asked to call detectives at 410-396-2499 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup.
In August, a private security firm in Federal Hill said it was working with the community to reduce crime.
The Federal Hill Neighborhood Patrol started in 2020 after someone was fatally shot and another person was carjacked within days of each other.
The neighborhood patrol contracted MATCOM Office of Public Safety, a private security firm, for years, which they say has dropped crime numbers by 41% in some categories in certain parts of Federal Hill.
The neighborhood patrol is certified as special police in the state, meaning they can detain suspects if a crime happens in their jurisdiction.
Staffing has increased to the point of having half a dozen officers on weekend nights.
“It even gets to the point where on the weekends, we’re able to have six officers on the street to kind of balance out, when the officers are tied up dealing with the bars and we’re able to kind of mitigate and take care of things on the street here,” said Maj. Brian Askew, who serves as the neighborhood’s director of patrol and works for MATCOM Office of Public Safety.
The neighborhood patrol said it has an agreement with the Southern District of Baltimore City Police to help when needed.
“They sort of allow us to be an extra set of ears, not to supplement what they do. It’s just that they can’t be everywhere at once. We don’t expect them to,” said Ian Neuman, president of the Federal Hill Neighborhood Patrol.
Recently, Federal Hill has reportedly had a string of break-ins, a wave of vandalism, a 39-year-old woman injured in a shooting, and a woman who was allegedly carjacked at knifepoint with her child in the car.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.