A man who threatened to kill his family died this morning after he was taken into custody by state troopers.
Maryland State Police reported the man, David P. Matarazzo, 47, of the 1500 block of Hillside Drive, died at the scene shortly after midnight today.
A day earlier troopers had responded to a call at the home where the man was reportedly threatening suicide. The troopers reported they referred Matarazzo to a crisis unit and an area hospital, where he was treated Sunday evening.
Police were called to the scene about 11 p.m. Monday by neighbors and Matarazzo’s wife, who told troopers her husband was in the front yard yelling and holding a large rock and folding metal chair. She said Matarazzo wanted her and their two teenage children to come outside and threatened to kill them, according to a police report.
Troopers instructed him to drop the chair, but Matarazzo refused, saying “You?ll have to kill me,” according to authorities.
“Two troopers arrived at the single-family home about seven minutes after the call came in and were confronted by Matarazzo, who was (6-feet, 7 inches) tall and weighed about 550 pounds,” police said in a release. ” Matarazzo was on the small front porch, holding the metal folding chair. As troopers attempted to arrest Matarazzo, he refused to submit and was sprayed once with pepper spray, which seemed to have little effect on him. Troopers were able to handcuff him behind his back and immediately used a garden hose to wash off the pepper spray.”
Shortly after being handcuffed, Matarazzo had difficulty breathing and troopers called for a medical unit to respond to the scene. He was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
An investigation into Matarazzo’s death is under way by the troopers and the State Police Criminal Investigation Division Homicide Unit. A second investigation is being conducted by the State Police Internal Affairs Unit.
