The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released body-camera footage Monday of a fatal encounter between Anne Arundel Police officers and a 21-year-old man from Crofton.

At approximately 4:38 p.m. Oct. 29 last year, county officers responded to the 900 block of Waugh Chapel Way in Odenton following a report of two men in a vehicle with guns and drugs, both of which were eventually confiscated by law enforcement.

Upon their arrival, police ordered the men out of the vehicle; one surrendered and was handcuffed, while the other ran away. During a brief foot chase, Cpl. A. Stallings, a 10-year police veteran whose body-camera footage is part of the released video, fired his Taser toward the back of Lavaughn Coleman, who fell and injured his head.

Coleman was transferred first to an area hospital and then to a shock trauma center as his condition worsened. He stayed at the second facility until he died more than a month later on Dec. 14.

The Independent Investigations Division of the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, which generally releases body-camera footage within 20 business days of an event under review, opened an investigation Dec. 6 into Coleman’s death. The video’s release does not presume criminal charges will be issued from the October incident.

‘Stop or I’ll tase you’

Stallings’ body-camera footage begins approximately a minute before he arrives on the scene. When exiting his vehicle, Stalling draws a firearm and instructs the suspects to turn off their car and put their hands up. He introduces himself and, telling them he’s recording the encounter, tries to assure them that “everything’s going to be OK.”

Keeping his firearm trained on the vehicle, Coleman waits for backup to arrest the two men. They are released one person at a time, the driver first and then Coleman, who was a passenger in the vehicle. Stallings handles Coleman’s arrest, telling him to let go of his phone, raise his hands and turn away from him.

Coleman steps back toward Stallings and the police car on the officer’s orders and gets down on his knees.

Once another officer attempts to handcuff him, Coleman dashes away, running down a road behind a Petco store and farther into a business park. Stallings pursues, holstering his firearm and yelling, “Stop or I’ll tase you.” Seconds later, he pulls out his Taser and fires. Coleman falls and lies on the ground motionless as officers put his hands behind his back and handcuff him.

Coleman’s breathing becomes labored and the police officers turn him around, revealing a pool of blood on the pavement. They position Coleman so that he is sitting up and radio for fire personnel. Stallings sends the second officer to retrieve a medical kit and asks a civilian, watching from a nearby trash compactor, to call 911.

“Stay with me, buddy,” Stallings says, patting Coleman’s shoulder. “You’re OK.”

Stallings confirms with a dispatcher that the fire department is on its way, and the dispatcher says yes. Stallings radios in that the scene is secure.

The police officer, rummaging through the first-aid kit, asks Coleman whether he can hear him, instructing him to nod yes or speak if able. Coleman’s breathing is all that can be heard as Stallings and another officer wrap a bandage around his head to try to stop the bleeding.

Video footage from another officer, who attempted to handcuff Coleman was also released Monday. It shows Coleman exiting the vehicle, back up and start to get handcuffed, but ends once the body camera falls off the officer’s vest.

Stallings, whose full name was not released by the Attorney General’s Office, has 10 years of law enforcement experience and is assigned to the county police’s Burea of Patrol. He has remained on full duty status during the investigation, Anne Arundel Police spokesperson Marc Limansky said.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate.