A man who told Pittsburgh police that he was assaulted by someone in a Downtown coffee shop had to be subdued by a Taser after he tried to punch an officer, according to authorities.
Barry Comeau, 37, of Jackson, Wyo., told officers responding to a Starbucks coffee shop in Market Square shortly before noon on Wednesday that he was the victim of an assault, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.
But Comeau was angered after a police sergeant told him that the incident in which he was involved was only harassment, the TV station reported.
Comeau repeatedly told the sergeant that he was assaulted before he “suddenly and aggressively stood up with a napkin in his right hand, forcing it in a punching motion into my face and yelled ‘assaulted’,” according to the criminal complaint filed in support of the charges.
When the sergeant grabbed Comeau’s shoulder he allegedly “pushed back” and yelled “assault” and “false arrest.”
As the pair wrestled, police say they began to “fight and wrestle.”
Video that captured part of the incident show as many as nine officers trying to subdue Comeau.
When they were physically unable to get him under control a Taser was deployed to take him into custody.
Comeau was transported to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Uptown for treatment before being taken to the Allegheny County Jail.
Comeau is charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, according to court records.
He remains in jail after failing to post a $5,000 bond.
