At DC9 Hearing, Tears and a Revealing Recording
As the sides tussle over whether DC9 should have its liquor license revoked, an ABRA hearing presents a close look at circumstances leading up to the death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed. In a meeting room packed with onlookers, Joseph Englert, a co-owner of DC9, choked back tears today as he told the ABC Board how exemplary his establishment and employees have always been: "It's a very open, nurturing place where people are put at ease as soon as they walk through the door."
Englert also said what he believed happened the night Mohammed died. Namely, that, as opposed to what the police have claimed, the four employees and co-owner who chased down Mohammed on October 15—after the 27 year-old threw a brick through the club's window—didn't then beat him. "What they told me was they were holding Mr. Ali for the police," he said of the men.
The group has been charged with aggravated assault. Englert told the board the five, Bill Spieler and employees Darryl Carter, Reginald Phillips, Evan Preller, and Arthur Zaloga, aren't working for DC9 anymore. Spieler resigned; the rest have been fired. The employees weren't let go because Englert believes they're guilty, though. He seemed sure that a 911 call placed by one of Mohammed's pursuers, among other pieces of evidence, would later exonerate the accused.
Another interesting moment? The defense played a radio call placed by the EMTs who picked up Mohammed the night he died. In a call to Howard University hospital, the emergency workers describe Mohammed as being a victim of cardiac arrest, not bludgeoning. They explain that Mohammed has had a "cardiac arrest after a fight." They also recount that he went unconscious in the presence of police, contradicting the police version of events—which claims Mohammed was dead or very close to it when the first officer arrived on the scene. Throwing the wrench into the credibility of the EMTs, though, is the fact that they refer to the young Mohammed as a "45-year-old."
The hearing will resume shortly.
3:59 pm
I believe Darryl Carter was not involved in this situation. That is an egregious error. Please work on your fact checking.
4:14 pm
Frederick --
What do you mean? Carter was one of the five charged by police. Do you have information suggesting he wasn't?
4:50 pm
why hasn't the coroner's report been released yet? MoCo can wrap one up in a few days (e.g. professor killed in her home last week) but DC is taking weeks for what was alleged to be a "brutal vigilante killing."
5:08 pm
Eric - I believe it's called due diligence. The MoCo case is totally different case with totally different circumstances. DC is waiting for results from all the labs to come back. There may be a chance that mohammed died from something else, there may not be -- but we won't know until toxicology, etc. come back.
6:01 pm
can't they verify whether the tape was of the dood or not?
11:22 pm
Call me crazy but he looks younger than 45. Maybe he used to work out a lot..
11:29 pm
Wouldn't it be reasonable to think that Ali was killed by the dc9 employees?
suspects: dc9 employees
motive: anger from property damage
witnesses: at least 3
let's see any other dc9 conspiracy theories:
suspects: DC police
motive: boredom
witnesses: ??
suspects: Boogie man
motive: ??
witnesses: DC9 bartender (I am sure he will be impartial)
suspects: Alcohol
motive: being bloody
witnesses: the glass