Baltimore riots: Freddie Gray could be heard banging his head against police vehicle and may have been 'intentionally trying to injure himself', report says

Claim was made by another suspect who was also in the police van

Freddie Gray could be heard banging his head against the wall of the police vehicle he was placed in and may have been “intentionally trying to injure himself,” according to another prisoner who also in the van

In explosive twist that will spark more anguish in an already anguished city – and which many have already dismissed - the Washington Post said that the prisoner, who has not been identified, was separated by a partition and could not see Mr Gray. However, he said could hear him as he appeared to bang his head against the wall.

The testimony is contained within within a sealed legal document related to a request for a search warrant and many will consider it too unlikely to be credible.

It has not been made public and many will perceive it to be a cover-up by police. There has been no independent confirmation of the claim and a lawyer for Mr Gray’s family rejected it.

The Post said it was given the document under the condition that the prisoner not be named because the person who provided it feared for the inmate’s safety

The newspaper said the document, written by a Baltimore police investigator, may offer the first glimpse of what might have happened inside the van. It is not clear whether any additional evidence backs up the prisoner’s version, which is just one piece of several investigations.

Mr Gray was found unconscious in the wagon when it arrived at a police station on April 12. The 25-year-old had suffered a spinal injury and died a week later, sparking waves of protests. Mr Gray’s funeral service was held earlier this week and was followed by rioting in parts of the city.

On Friday, Baltimore police are due to hand to prosecutors an initial probe into Mr Gray’s death. However, on Wednesday police said they would be making the report public, partly perhaps, as part of an effort to avoid further violence.

Jason Downs, one of the attorneys for the Mr Gray family, told the Washington Post that family had not been told of the prisoner’s comments to investigators.

“We disagree with any implication that Freddie Gray severed his own spinal cord,” said Mr Downs. “We question the accuracy of the police reports we’ve seen thus far, including the police report that says Mr Gray was arrested without force or incident.”