PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Norristown police are investigating whether or not use of force was justified after video of an officer punching a suspect during an arrest caught the public's eye.
At a news conference Monday, Norristown Police Chief Mark Talbot said 26-year-old Malcolm Coleman was wanted for aggravated assault for allegedly shooting his cousin in the stomach in Philadelphia. He was also wanted for a probation violation in Montgomery County.
According to the preliminary investigation, Officer Sean Gallagher saw Coleman on Franklin Street in Norristown on Friday. When backup arrived, he tried to arrest him.
"Mr. Coleman pulled away and immediately backed away from officers," explained Talbot. "And while he was backing away, he was reported to be reaching for his waistband. Mr. Coleman said to officers on several occasions, 'I'm not going back to jail.'"
Talbot called the struggle between officers and Coleman "violent." He said officers tased Coleman, who is 6 feet, 7 inches tall, but that didn't keep him down. He kept resisting arrest, Talbot said.
The video was recorded by a bystander and has been viewed more than 43,000 times.
"The video shows several officers surrounding Mr. Coleman. It also shows Officer Gallagher standing on one side of Mr. Coleman. At the point this is occurring in video, Mr. Coleman is not in handcuffs. Although it's been widely reported, he was not in handcuffs as it's depicted on this video," Talbot said.
Talbot said Gallagher punched Coleman twice in the head right before Coleman was handcuffed. He was taken to the station and treated for his injuries.
Talbot said officers "peacefully" tried to arrest Coleman, but he didn't comply. He said officers didn't use or threaten to use deadly force.
But Talbot isn't surprised so many people are expressing concern — he said he's concerned too.
"When the police use force against a citizen, it is something that we all should pay attention to," Talbot said. "There is nothing wrong with that. We should be in a time where we pay attention, we find out what happens, we get the facts and we see whether or not it was appropriate or inappropriate."
Gallagher has been placed on administrative duty during the investigation.
Talbot said body camera footage is being reviewed and police are looking for more witnesses.
"We will make sure that what we did was appropriate as it relates to Mr. Coleman and we will do what's appropriate as it relates to Officer Gallagher and the other officers involved in this incident," Talbot added.
No weapon was found on Coleman, but Talbot said he had contraband on him.
Talbot said he doesn't believe the district attorney needs to look at this, and said no criminal offense occurred by police.
