Md. Hotel Incident Highlights Challenge of Mental Health Crisis Calls for Police
What to know
- A hotel disturbance in Ocean City escalated from an assault into repeated threats and erratic behavior, underscoring the challenge police face in incidents that straddle criminal conduct and mental health crises.
- The suspect was taken for a psychiatric evaluation, left the hospital against medical advice, and later threatened violence again, assaulted officers and correctional staff, and was charged with multiple offenses.
- Police say mental health-related calls are frequent and often undercounted, and officers rely on Crisis Intervention Training and partnerships with health services to manage these complex situations.
A disturbance at an Ocean City hotel last week highlighted a growing challenge facing local police: responding to incidents that blur the line between criminal behavior and a mental health crisis.
Ocean City police recorded dozens of emergency mental health calls last year, though officials say the tally does not capture every encounter involving people in crisis. One such case occurred before dawn Friday at the Fenwick Inn, where police said an unhoused man shoved a hotel employee to the ground and poured a stolen energy drink on her before being taken for a psychiatric evaluation
At the hospital, police said, Long threatened to kill nurses, security staff, a doctor and an officer. The police report said Long later left the hospital AMA, or “against medical advice.”
Tidal Health officials said, in general, leaving against medical advice means a patient’s screening exam was incomplete, or a provider recommended more treatment, but the patient chose to leave. Patients generally have that right, unless they are found to lack capacity or to be a danger to themselves or others.
Police said Long later spit in an officer’s face, threatened mass violence again at the public safety building in Ocean City and urinated on correctional staff while in a holding cell.
Long was charged with threat of mass violence, disorderly conduct, malicious destruction of property under $1,000, two counts of second-degree assault, theft of less than $100 and causing contact with bodily fluids. Court records show he is represented by the Office of the Public Defender. The Baltimore Sun has reached out for comment.
Ocean City police recorded 54 emergency committal calls for service in 2025 and 21 as of June 2 this year, according to Deputy Communications Manager Ashley Miller. A separate count, based on incident reports, showed 69 documented emergency committals transported to a hospital in 2025 and 20 so far this year.
The Friday case was coded as an assault, not an emergency committal, because that was the initial call, Miller said. The psychiatric evaluation was documented later in the report.
Hospital officials said police bring people to TidalHealth several times a day for evaluations, including behavioral health checks and medical follow-ups after crashes. The hospital does not necessarily see a summer increase in police bringing in patients.
Miller said officers receive state-mandated de-escalation training, medical-response training and Crisis Intervention Training. Of the department’s 125 officers, 107 have completed CIT. The remaining 18 are newer officers.
Ocean City police also work with the Worcester County Health Department’s Crisis Response Team and maintain a peer support team for officers after difficult calls.
“Unfortunately, in the world of law enforcement, we encounter people on their worst days, as well as individuals who are not supportive of law enforcement,” Miller said.
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