No charges against officers in arrest of woman who died in 2022, but DA pushes for more training
Jan 28, 2025, 6:00 PM
Salt Lake City police officers restrain a woman in body camera video from Jan. 2022, near 900 North and 400 West in Salt Lake City. Megan Joyce Mohn's death was ruled a homicide but the district attorney said Tuesday no charges will be filed against the officers. (Salt Lake City Police Department)
(Salt Lake City Police Department)
SALT LAKE CITY — More than three years after a woman who was acting erratically and became unresponsive after being placed in handcuffs and later died at a hospital, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that no criminal charges will be filed against the officers who arrested her.
But even though the four officers will not face any charges as they were acting in accordance with their training, District Attorney Sim Gill encouraged local police agencies to revisit how officers are trained.
“I am imploring law enforcement agencies to revisit, review and retrain with updated medical training,” Gill said Tuesday while announcing his office will provide funding for any law enforcement agency that wants to participate in the updated training.
Three years ago on Jan. 11, 2022, Salt Lake police responded to Marathon Petroleum’s Salt Lake refinery where Megan Joyce Mohn, 40, was walking in circles while carrying two pieces of rebar in the intersection of 400 W. 900 North.
In body camera video released by police in 2022, Mohn immediately starts screaming, “Help me!” as an officer approaches her and asks several times for her name. At one point, Mohn asks the officers if she can use one of their cellphones to call police.
“We are the police,” one officer responds.
Mohn “remained verbally and physically noncompliant” with the officers and was eventually placed in handcuffs while sitting down on the grass on a park strip, according to Gill’s final report. She continued to scream for help, and “was observably in a state of distress and communicating in incoherent and irrational statements.”
Mohn began kicking officers as they tried to cut her backpack off of her. The officers turned her onto her stomach and, according to the report, described putting their knees on the small of her back to hold her as they put shackles on her legs.
Approximately 8 minutes after handcuffs were first applied, Mohn “stopped moving and stopped making any sounds,” the report states. The four officers on scene then moved Mohn into a “recovery position” and began administering medical aid. She was taken to a hospital, “never regaining consciousness, and ultimately passed away 19 days after the incident, on Jan. 30, 2022.”
The Utah Office of the Medical Examiner determined that Mohn “died as a result of an anoxic brain injury due to cardiac arrest due to a probable methamphetamine intoxication in the setting of an altercation involving physical restraint.” The autopsy also noted that “physical exertion during the altercation may have precipitated the cardiac arrest. Also, the history of being held down in the prone position raises concern for an asphyxial component.”
After Mohn’s death was ruled a homicide, several investigations were opened. As part of the district attorney’s investigation, the office sought the opinion of Eric Daigle, a use-of-force expert from Connecticut who has both military and law enforcement experience. In his review of the case, Daigle concluded that the actions of the officers were “reasonable or necessary considering the totality of the circumstances.”
Gill says his office concluded that Mohn’s death was likely caused, in part, by her drug use.
“However, we could not determine to what extent, if at all, the officers’ actions during their arrest and restraint of Ms. Mohn caused or contributed to her serious bodily injury and/or death; nor could we rule out that the officers’ actions did not cause or contribute to Ms. Mohn’s serious injury and/or death,” the report states.
While the conduct of police may be consistent with the training they receive, it is not unreasonable for us to draw attention to the possibility that our consistent actions may be contributing to adverse outcomes for individuals and resulting in death or serious bodily injury.–Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill
Gill says he will not file charges against officers Joshua Hoyle, Sherwin Mansourbeigi, Dalton Hatch and Todd Goodsell.
But the district attorney added in his report: “We must draw attention to police training, practices, and policies which have not been updated to be in line with current medical knowledge and do not adequately minimize the risk of human injury and loss of life. While the conduct of police may be consistent with the training they receive, it is not unreasonable for us to draw attention to the possibility that our consistent actions may be contributing to adverse outcomes for individuals and resulting in death or serious bodily injury.”
Gill says it would be “unethical” to prosecute officers who were doing what they are trained to do. However, “while hands-on contact may be both unavoidable and even necessary to ensure both community and officer safety, we implore police agencies to revisit, review, and retrain officers consistent with current medical knowledge regarding the dangers of prone positions, especially for medically high-risk individuals,” he said in the report.
He said this is the eighth case of a person who has died while in police custody since 2019 that his office has reviewed.
Also attending Tuesday’s press conference to announce the findings were Amanda O’Driscoll, an independent medical consultant who specializes in first responder education, and West Jordan Police Chief Ken Wallentine who also sits on the board of directors for the Institute for Prevention of In-custody Death.
O’Driscoll says recent studies have shown that what Mohn was experiencing was a form of excited delirium known as catecholamine surge, or cat surge for short.
“It’s similar to a vehicle engine being fully revved and red-lined and the gas pedal is never released. If they are not treated, the engine will blow, resulting in a patient’s death,” she said.
Cat surge is a “critical medical emergency,” she said, during which a patient doesn’t suffer from lack of oxygen but rather a buildup of carbon dioxide. When this happens, a person acts erratic, cannot be reasoned with and standard police de-escalation tactics won’t work. The best thing to at that point, she said, is “contain not detain,” and possibly keep that person confined to a room or backyard until paramedics arrive.
“It is vital during the law enforcement encounter that the patient must be allowed to breathe heavily and deeply. Excess stimulation that isn’t absolutely necessary to keep everyone involved safe should be avoided if possible,” O’Driscoll said.
But the top priority is always the safety of everyone involved and the public’s safety, she, Wallentine and Gill concurred.
“By no means are we suggesting that we compromise on public safety. But what we are suggesting consistent with updated medical information, we need revisit and train with that updated information,” Gill said. “It’s not about compromising officer safety.”
Wallentine agreed that the hardest part in what are often dynamic situations is balancing public safety with the patient’s needs. That’s why updated training for officers on how to use all available tactical advantages is important. For example, if a person is not armed and unable to run away, it is best to simply contain that person until medical crews arrive.
