Norristown Officer Put On Desk Duty After Use Of Force In Arrest

NORRISTOWN, PA — A Norristown police officer has been put on administrative duty after using force during the arrest of a wanted man last Friday, authorities said Sunday.

Video of the incident circulated social media over the weekend showing several officers attempting to bring the suspect, Malcolm Coleman, 26, into custody.

The incident occurred at around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 on the 200 block of Franklin Street.

The first policeman responding to the scene, Officer Sean Gallagher, engaged Coleman in conversation until more officers could arrive, according to a police incident report. Coleman, who was wanted for aggravated assault with a firearm in Philadelphia, was considered armed and dangerous.

When more officers arrived, they attempted to put handcuffs on Coleman, who police said is 6 feet, 7 inches tall and 235 pounds. But Coleman "violently tried to escape," quickly backing away and repeating that he was not going back to jail, police said.

Officers used a taser on Coleman, which brought him to the ground, but he quickly got up and was still resisting as they tried to put handcuffs on him, according to the incident report.

The footage circulating social media shows the next sequence of events, in which Coleman is being held in place by three other officers while Gallagher strikes him in the side of the head twice.

Once he was in custody, police said they called for medics to treat Coleman for a laceration to his head.

The department said they're launching a full investigation which includes review of the bystander video, police body camera footage, witness interviews, and reports from officers on the scene. Gallagher is on desk duty in the meantime.

Coleman was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility and a preliminary hearing is forthcoming.

If you have any information, contact Norristown Police at 610-270-0977.