District Attorney: No Criminal Charges In Death Of Man Detained By Law Enforcement

SMITHFIELD – Johnston County District Attorney Susan Doyle has ruled that no criminal charges will be filed against Johnston County deputies and EMS personnel in connection with the death of a man they were trying to help.

At the request of District Attorney Doyle and Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell, the NC State Bureau of Investigation was requested to conduct an independent investigation into the death of Santiago Antonio Mateo while he was being detailed in handcuffs by deputies.

NCSBI Special Agent Travis Roberts conducted the investigation.

On September 19, 2024, around 7:15pm, Collin and Kayla Harrell observed Mateo, operating a blue Jeep Cherokee, drive into their driveway on Highway 39 in northern Johnston County. Mateo jumped out and began yelling, “They are trying to kill me, call the cops!”

Kayla called 911 while Collin remained outside talking to Mateo who then jumped back into his Jeep and drove through their yard. Mateo struck a Ford F-150 in their yard as well as a peach tree where the vehicle came to rest.

Mateo exited the Jeep and began running in the Harrell’s yard as well as the yard across the street. Mateo also ran in the roadway and attempted to enter multiple vehicles as they were passing by. Mateo was able to jump into the back of a small truck and hit the top of the vehicle while shouting, “Go, go, go!”

At one point, Mateo began lying in the middle of the roadway kicking, spinning around, and trying to grab cars as they drove by. 

Johnston County EMS Captain Johnny Davis arrived on the scene. Mateo ran in front of Davis’s vehicle and tried to unlock the front passenger door.

Mateo climbed through Davis’s front passenger window and sat in the front passenger seat stating, “Get me out of here. They are trying to kill me!”

Mateo got out of the vehicle and laid on the hood. He then opened the tailgate and attempted to get in the back but was unable to get in because of all the emergency equipment. Mateo remained in the roadway.

An off-duty Raleigh firefighter, Dean Narron, who lived nearby, came onto the scene and began to assist Davis with removing Mateo out of the roadway for his own safety. Mateo began to fight both Davis and Narron to get back to the roadway.

Antioch Fire Department Assistant Chief Ricky Turner arrived and began to assist Davis and Narron.

Johnston County Deputy Nicholas Kurkowski arrived shortly thereafter and placed Mateo in handcuffs.

According to authorities, Mateo continued to yell that the cartel had taken his wife and they were going to kill him. Deputy Kurkowski and another fireman moved Mateo out of the ditch over to the hood of the deputy’s vehicle. Mateo was able to walk on his own and continued to talk as they walked over.

Mateo was calmer as he stood at the front of the patrol car, officials said. Within a short period of time, Mateo went into cardiac arrest.

Emergency personnel immediately began life saving measures including CPR and several doses of Epinephrine to re-start Mateo’s heart. After approximately thirty minutes, life saving measures were stopped and Mateo was pronounced dead.

It was clear to the first responders and deputies that Mateo seemed to be under the influence of a controlled substance based upon his statements, his mannerisms, and his dilated pupils. Deputy Kurkowski also observed tightly rolled and taped currency in Mateo’s vehicle which is commonly used for ingesting controlled substances.

No witnesses observed any emergency personnel, firemen, or law enforcement use any strikes, jabs, taser, or any other amount of force other than holding Mateo.

Dr. Lauren Crowson-Hindman performed the autopsy on Santiago Mateo. Although the final autopsy has not been certified by the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Crowson- Hindman provided a statement with her preliminary findings to investigators.

Dr. Crowson-Hindman determined that Mateo had a very large heart and suffered from severe coronary artery disease. She observed that Mateo had blockage on the right side of approximately 90 percent and a left side blockage of approximately 50 percent. The toxicology report is still pending.

“After a thorough review of the NC SBI investigative report and several discussions with Special Agent Travis Roberts, I have concluded that this criminal investigation may be closed. No one on the scene who attempted to help Mateo exhibited any behavior that could possibly have contributed in any way to Mateo’s death. As a result, no criminal charges against any member of the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office or any other emergency personnel will be filed related to this incident,” District Attorney Doyle stated in a press release.