A South Fulton police officer accused of pointing his Taser at a man who confronted him at a crash scene received a three-day suspension after an investigation found that he violated department policy, city officials said.
Cpl. Soloman Muhammad had been on administrative duty since the Jan. 29 incident at the intersection of Roosevelt Highway and Rock Hill Road, according to city spokesman Gary Leftwich.
A man who identified himself as Marcus Coleman recorded the encounter earlier this year and posted the video to his Instagram page. The GBI was called in to investigate Muhammad’s use of force after Coleman claimed a Taser was pointed at his chest when he asked why the officer wasn’t directing traffic at the scene.
In addition to being suspended for three days without pay, Muhammad has been ordered to attend de-escalation and sensitivity training, the city said. He will return to patrol duty after serving his suspension.
“We have reviewed the findings of the GBI’s investigation into this incident and feel this to be a fitting resolution to the case,” South Fulton police Chief Keith Meadows said in a statement. “There were violations of department policy, which warrant the actions we’ve taken today. However, there is no evidence included in the GBI report that suggests additional measures should be taken.”
In the video, Coleman was filming from the side of the road as traffic backed up behind the crash. He continued recording as he walked across the street and arrived at the officer’s open passenger-side window.
“Hey, officer,” Coleman said in the video. “How come ain’t nobody directing traffic right here?”
The officer rolled up his window and motioned to the man to give him a moment. Coleman then appeared to walk toward fire crews working the accident and yelled, “I’m sure it would be helpful if this officer would assist you, wouldn’t it?”
At that point, the officer pulsed his siren and stepped out of his patrol car. Coleman quickly backed up as the officer asked him to get back in his car. He told him he was writing the report and waiting on someone to come direct traffic.
“Yeah, that’s cool, bro,” Coleman told the officer as he began to walk away. “We’ll see what Chief (Keith) Meadows say about that.”
The officer then turned and walked quickly toward Coleman, coming close to his cellphone camera. He appeared to swat at Coleman’s phone and told the man repeatedly to “get down.” Some sort of struggle ensued.
“Are you serious, brother? Are you gonna Tase me, bro?” Coleman asked the officer before the video cut off.
He later said that a stun gun was put to his chest at “point blank” range and he was “illegally detained” for an hour before being allowed to leave.
In a video posted to his Instagram page Friday morning, Coleman expressed his displeasure with the officer’s punishment, referring to himself as a tax-paying citizen who helped in the city’s creation.
“Well-played, sirs,” Coleman said while clapping his hands and saluting the camera. “Code blue runs true, through and through ... I sure hope he’s worth it.”
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