Man Says He Heard ‘Little Banging’ in Van With Freddie Gray
The Washington Postreported this week that a prisoner riding in the same police van as Freddie Gray said he “was intentionally trying to injure himself’’ and was “banging against the walls.’’
But Donta Allen, 22, came forward Thursday to say he was the other man in the van and that he did not hear Gray trying to injure himself, he told WBALTV.
Allen was picked up for suspicion of stealing. When he arrived at the police station, instead of citing him, officers took him to the homicide unit.
In an interview with WBALTV, he said he heard banging but denied telling the police he heard anyone trying to hurt himself. Allen said he did not know there was another man in the van because they were loaded in separate sides of the van with a divider between them.
He told WBALTV, “When I got in the van, I didn’t hear nothing. It was a smooth ride. We went straight to the police station. All I heard was a little banging for about four seconds. I just heard little banging, just little banging.’’
When asked if he told police what he heard, he said, “I told homicide that. I don’t work for the police. I did not tell the police nothing.’’
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