Defendant Convicted of Assaulting Police Officer with Firearm

DATE:  July 18, 2019

CASE:  Artavious Coleman (Case #19FE000404)

PROSECUTOR:  Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moore, Career Criminal Prosecution Unit

Artavious Coleman was convicted by a jury of assault on a police officer with a semi-automatic firearm, making criminal threats, resisting a police officer with force and felon in possession of a firearm.

Artavious Coleman fled from an officer on foot during a routine traffic stop.  When Coleman was caught by the officer, Coleman pulled out a gun and told the officer he was going to shoot him.  Coleman attempted to fire the gun, which had a loaded magazine in it, but the gun did not have a round in the chamber and did not fire.  The officer deployed his taser, got on top of Coleman, and pinned Coleman’s gun to the ground.  Coleman bit the officer’s wrist in an attempt to free the firearm, but the officer was able to maintain control of the gun until other officers arrived.

An allegation that Coleman has a prior strike conviction for attempted first-degree rape will be determined at the sentencing hearing.

Coleman faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison.  Sentencing is set for August 30, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. in Department 36 before the Honorable Stephen Acquisto.