3 Baltimore County Cops Face Charges In Assault Case: Reports

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — Three Baltimore County police officers are facing charges connected to an incident last September during which one of the officers pepper-sprayed an escaped prisoner in the face while inside a patrol car with the windows rolled up, according to multiple reports.

Cpl. Zachary Small, 51, is charged with first and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office, according to Baltimore City court records obtained by the Baltimore Sun.

Jacob Roos, 28, and Justin Graham-Moore, 24, each face one count of misconduct in office, the Sun reported.

According to a grand jury indictment obtained by the Baltimore Banner, Small allegedly pepper-sprayed the detainee and held him by his hair for 28 seconds while he complained he couldn't breathe.

"You asked for it," Small said, according to the indictment. "Just remember this. I warned you."

Roos and Graham-Moore are accused of failing to intervene, the Banner reported.

The charges were filed in Baltimore City because the incident took place outside Johns Hopkins Hospital, reports said.

In a statement provided to WBAL-TV, the Baltimore County Police Department said, "Three of our officers have pending charges in Baltimore City from a September 2023 incident. The Baltimore County Police Department is cooperating with the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office regarding this matter."

When contacted by the Banner, a department spokesperson declined to confirm whether the officers were under internal investigation or facing disciplinary charges.

The Baltimore County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4 also released a statement to WBAL, saying in part, "We stand firm in supporting our members' entitlement to due process and the fairness mandated by the law. It is our strong recommendation to both our members and the public to withhold judgment until all facts surrounding the situation are thoroughly examined and made known."

Randallstown NAACP President Ryan Coleman told the Sun he was shown video of the incident last week.

"The video was disturbing in part because the suspect was crying out that he could not breathe, and then he was in a hot car," Coleman said. "The other thing that was concerning is the fact that he was pepper-sprayed and it didn’t really seem like that was needed at the time. Those things were concerning."