A 21-year-old Baltimore man refused to attend his virtual mental heath hearing on Jan. 21 but nonetheless Circuit Court Judge Gale E. Rasin deemed the defendant mentally competent to stand trial.
Javon Brown was expected to attend his proceeding on Wednesday after the court received his competency evaluation from Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center for psychiatric patients. The defendant is accused of attempting to gun down another man on the 1800 block of W. Pratt Street on the early evening of April 15, 2025.
During the Zoom proceeding, a correctional officer told the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney Sharon Bogins that Brown was refusing to attend. Judge Rasin issued an initial warning through the officer but ultimately decided to proceed with the hearing when Brown refused once more.
Judge Rasin said the defendant voluntarily waived his right to be present and found him competent to stand trial in agreement with the hospital’s evaluation ordered last month. In order to stand trial, a defendant must have the mental capacity to understand the charges he faces and help his attorney with the case.
A defendant can be declared mentally incompetent for a number of reasons including lack of education, drug use or a pre-existing mental illness.
Around 5:25 p.m. on the day of the incident, charging documents state, a Baltimore Police Department (BPD) officer conducting a traffic stop on S. Fulton Avenue heard gunshots and was one of several officers who responded to the commotion on the 1800 block of W. Pratt Street.
The same officer reported seeing two suspects running north on S. Fulton Avenue — later identified as the victim and the defendant — but that it looked like Brown was chasing the victim. When the officer got closer to the two men, court documents state, Brown changed course and dove headfirst through the open front passenger window of a Chrysler Town & Country that sped away.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his head and left shoulder and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Shortly after, another officer reported seeing the Chrysler on the 800 block of W. Lombard Street. The driver attempted to elude police in a parking lot before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into a fence. Brown was arrested after a brief chase during which he allegedly tossed the attempted murder weapon while running on the 800 block of Boyd Street.
The defendant is currently scheduled for trial on April 8 before Judge Lawrence R. Daniels. Defense attorney Arthur Baker will represent the defendant, whose charges include attempted first-degree murder, assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder as well as several weapons violations.
