Family Claims Police Arrest Abuse

A local family is angry and wants some answers from the Ellis administration and Monroe Police Chief Victor Zordan concerning the recent arrest and force used to take a relative into custody. The family said that their loved one, Devonte Coleman, was with some of his friends on June 20, 2024, when MPD officers approached them. According to a family member, Coleman and his friends were just standing beside a vehicle when officers passed by them and made a U-turn, turning on their lights. They were allegedly told that the driver "didn't signal" while making a turn. The driver was then told that he was being arrested because of a warrant. Coleman was recording the encounter from a safe distance and was not trying to walk or run away. As the driver was placed inside a police unit, an officer came over to Coleman and told him to take the keys to the vehicle and unlock it. Coleman told officers that since the vehicle wasn't his, he "couldn't open" the vehicle without the driver's permission. He also told officers that he couldn't open the car because his license had been suspended, but that the driver's girlfriend could come and get the vehicle. He was told once again to unlock the vehicle or face arrest. At that time, Coleman, who was still recording, made an attempt to unlock the vehicle. Suddenly, without warning, the family said that an officer hit Coleman from behind, knocking him to the ground. Coleman asked the officer why he hit him, as he wasn't being aggressive. More officers piled onto Coleman, striking him all over his body. He suffered numerous bruises to his body and his face around his eyes and had to receive medical treatment. The family is seeking answers as to why their loved one seems to be a target of MPD, as he has been harassed numerous times when he complies with officers. There was even a time when he got rid of a vehicle he once had because officers said that the windows "were too dark." It's hard for him to work to support his children, as he allegedly is "known" by officers who, the family says, give him a hard time when he has not done anything wrong. They feel that the recent incident was unwarranted but believe they will not find any relief through the Monroe Police Department. It wasn't so long ago that the mother was accused of being in possession of a gun from an arrested suspect in another encounter with the family. No charges were ever filed in that case, but the family said that it is one of the encounters with police that has been going on for a long time. They are hoping that someone can help make it stop.