A Tennessee man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 is brain-dead after being in police custody.
Christopher Ayala was arrested by Chattanooga deputies on April 27, CBS Austin reported, citing an arrest report. Dispatchers reportedly received four calls from Ayala, who “was not making any sense.”
When authorities arrived, they could reportedly smell marijuana and said Ayala “appeared to be under the influence of narcotics,” the outlet reported. The 23-year-old allegedly told the deputies “there was no emergency” and refused to answer questions, according to the outlet.
A deputy reportedly warned the man not to call 911 unless there was an emergency. Roughly half an hour later, they began receiving “numerous” calls from the same address, CBS Austin reported.
Ayala was arrested for improper use of 911 and transported to the Hamilton County Jail, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Handcuffed Car Theft Suspect Escaped Custody, Philadelphia Police Say).
Ayala’s charges were reportedly dismissed by the district attorney, WLBT reported. The DA said the dismissal was “obvious.”
Man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 was brain dead while in custody 2 days later https://t.co/Ms3pTbPa7F
— WAVE (@wave3news) May 15, 2024
“How can one read that letter and not think the reason for dismissal is fairly obvious?” the DA told WLBT.
“Less than 24 hours after his arrest, while in custody at the Hamilton County Jail and Detention Center, Ayala was transported to Erlanger Hospital,” Attorney Neal Pinkston, who represents the Ayala family, wrote in a letter to DA Coty Wamp, according to Chattanoogan.com.
“The Ayala family has never been told what happened to Christopher while in HCSO custody. His doctors have informed the family that he is brain dead and does not have long to live,” the letter reportedly continued.
“One HCSO employee said Christopher had never been booked into the jail and had no idea of his whereabouts,” Pinkston noted in a letter to Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett.
Pinkston and the Ayala family are searching for answers about what took place that left the 23-year-old braindead, the letter notes. Pinkston has requested the sheriff’s department provide “potential evidence,” including body cam footage, names and badge numbers of those who interacted with Christopher, and any documents related to his arrest.
“I want someone to take me to a room somewhere and say, ‘Look, man, we can review these cameras right here. And you can see literally what happened to your son here.’ I will be content. I will be content to know and I will be able to deal with this and move forward with my life,” Edwin Ayala, Christopher’s father, told WLBT.
“The whole side of his lip is busted. He’s got a chipped tooth. He’s got deep scratches on his knees and a bruise on the side of his leg,” Edwin told Local 3 News.
“What message do we send the community? You better be careful when you call the police, because it might be the last call you make,” he told WLBT.
The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
