The family of 27-year-old John Haley and their attorneys are raising serious questions about how Baltimore County law enforcement responds to a mental health crisis.
Wednesday afternoon, Haley’s parents, alongside their attorneys, Thomas Bundy III and Jeremy Eldridge at Zealous Advocates, announced that they are calling the Maryland Office of the Attorney General to re-evaluate and investigate this case.
In a 26-page letter to the AG, they laid out why Maryland police involved in cases like this need to be held accountable, and it is a public safety matter.
This stems from multiple violent incidents involving police in Baltimore County within the last year, including two instances in which John Haley came face-to-face with officers.
In one incident, Haley was violently punched.
The second John was tased, then shot more than a dozen times by Baltimore County police officers, leaving him paralyzed. This incident happened the day his mother called the emergency mental health line 988 for help, but they did not show up.
“He was a terrified young man in crisis.”
Helen Haley’s heart aches for her son John Haley and others like him.
“My son, John, is autistic. He struggles with anxiety sensitive sensory overload, and communicating, whether scared or frustrated,” said Helen Haley, John’s mother. “On the worst day of our lives. He was not a suspect, not a criminal. He was a terrified young man in crisis.”
On April 28, 2025, John Haley experienced a mental health crisis, so she called for help.
“I did what I was told a good mother should do,” Helen Haley said. “I went to court, and I got an emergency evaluation order. And when things got worse, I called the crisis one. I believe that would bring trained professionals, clinicians, people who understood mental health and disability,” Haley said.
Body camera video obtained by the attorney of the Haley family shows police arriving at Helen Haley’s home.
John Haley was locked in the bathroom, and police ordered him to come out.
“Instead, I watched my trust be shattered in real time. I saw officers come into my home while my son was naked, vulnerable, and supposed to be protected under the emergency evaluation order,” Helen Haley said.
“In the video, you see that Mr. Haley is punched in the face so hard that his head goes through the drywall,” said attorney Edridge.
Nearly a month later, on May 15, 2025, weary of calling the police following their previous interaction with the police.
John Haley’s mother called the emergency mental health crisis line at 9:19 p.m. that night. She said she called 988, hoping to get help for her son, as he threatened to take his own life, holding a knife in his hand.
Nearly an hour passes, no mental health providers arrive, and instead, police show up.
Another interaction with the police
Body camera video shows their second interaction.
“Mr. Haley didn’t immediately comply with two verbal commands made by the police in April; he got punched in the face of his head, put through a dry wall, and he was charged with assault and resisting arrest. That never happened,” Eldridge said.
Eldridge added, “You can listen to John Haley saying, ‘Leave me alone. I don’t want to hurt anybody.’ Please stay away from him. Those phrases are consistent with his actions. Those phrases are what we call into the profession, creating space.”
“After requesting help a second time, I heard my child on the porch, surrounded, begging to be left alone,” Helen Haley said. “Then came no sound. No mother should ever have to hear one gunshot, then another. They seemed to go on forever.”
Haley was tased and shot more than a dozen times, leaving him paralyzed. Their attorneys are calling it a miracle that John Haley is still alive. However, his family says Haley was criminally accused of things he did not do, and the officers involved need to be held accountable.
“Our immediate response can’t be bullets and punches,” Bundy said. “None of us is perfect. This case is not about the police being bad, as some may try to spin it, but this case is all about bad policing.”
“But there’s absolutely no proof that there was a full-on investigation, which is why we’re asking for one,” said Eldridge. “Those records were subpoenaed as part of John’s defense in his criminal cases, and the police department failed to provide us, as part of his representation, any of those materials.”
WJZ reached out to Baltimore County Police Department regarding the May 2025 incident and a spokesperson wrote:
“This matter remains under review by Internal Affairs. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the Department is limited in the information that can be shared at this time.”
According to the department, they place a strong emphasis on training, mental health training in the academy. Officers and recruits receive instruction in de-escalation receive specialized training in behavioral health, crisis intervention, and interactions with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“Where was the mental health crisis team that Baltimore County strongly advocates are there to support where were you?” Bundy asked during Wednesday’s announcement.
“I am here today because I’ve refused to let my child be a silent statistic. We did everything the system asked us to do, and it still nearly killed him. We are not asking for perfection. We are demanding humanity,” said Helen Haley.
According to the Haley’s attorney’s, John Haley was also denied visitation to his family for 30 days while in hospital custody following the May shooting incident, delaying him from getting the proper care needed for recovery.
“John has several bullets still in his body. The bullets are breaking down. Given how long it’s been, it’s poisoning him. The surgeries that he must have do not come without great risk to his health,” said Eldridge.
“This is an epidemic, and it’s one that’s got to stop.”
The Zealous Advocates announcement comes nearly a month after Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said he would not bring charges against seven Baltimore County Police Department officers involved in two separate fatal shootings last year.
“There are a pattern and a practice in Baltimore County that needs to be exposed and needs to be eliminated,” Elridge said.