Advertisement New police policy in place after teen dies in hospital Taser incident George Von King struck with Taser 5 times, dies days later Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Baltimore's police commissioner is putting a new policy in place after a 19-year-old man died just days after being hit with a Taser by police in a hospital.The commissioner is setting new rules about when police will respond to calls from a hospital.Mobile users, tap here for videoWhat caused the death of George King at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital is still an open question. The autopsy is pending.King's death is controversial. His mother and some community activists said the Taser was unnecessary, but police said King had become combative a day after being admitted to the hospital. A source said he was there because of seizures.On May 7, hospital security called city police for backup, and King ended up being struck with a Taser five times by one of those officers. He died four days later.Noting that one of the officers who responded to the hospital was a rookie, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts on Wednesday ordered a policy change, requiring officers responding to calls from a hospital to not do so unless a supervisor approves.In a radio interview Wednesday, Batts said the two officers involved probably should not have been called to respond to the hospital's problems with King."What was the purpose of them calling us when they were having a problem with their own patient? What was the law that was broken when they called us, and why did they have five security officers there and then still called the police department?" Batts questioned.Hours after Batts' radio interview, the police department released a statement clarifying their response to hospitals in regards to law violations and threats to life."Anytime there is a loss of life the Baltimore Police Department must pause and review the policies and procedures around the incident. We must move towards responding to incidents only where there is either a threat to personal safety or a clear violation of the law. Our officers should not be put into a position of taking enforcement action, without a clear violation of existing law or threat to human life. During this review, officers will continue to respond to hospitals and mental life facilities where there is a violation of law or a threat to life. Our response to calls that do not fall into this category will be based upon supervisory review."King's family's attorney said the policy change speaks volumes about who may be to blame for King's death."Clearly it admits that they should not have Tasered him. It admits that they know now, after looking back at what happened -- hindsight, it's always 20/20 -- they see that, you know, they shouldn't have used a Taser in that situation," said Granville Templeton, the attorney for King's mother.King's autopsy isn't expected to be quick, 11 News learned. Medical examiners need to look for any underlying medical issues and at any medication King had been given, where King was hit with the Taser and how much time passed between that and his death.Tasers are rarely cited as a direct cause of death, the I-Team learned.The incident is still under investigation, so how much of a safety threat King's struggle with officers was is still unclear.However, the hospital sent 11 News a statement a week after his death, saying, "Paramount to us at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital is the safety and well-being of our patients, as well as our staff. There are sometimes circumstances that threaten the safety of our staff, which necessitate police intervention."11 News reporter George Lettis contributed to this article