Heated arrest in Denton caught on video, posted on Twitter

A teen who shot a cellphone video of Denton police trying to restrain a woman — and one officer using his Taser to shock a man who was yelling at officers — set off a firestorm of comments when he posted the video on Twitter.

Jeremy Jones, 18, told the Star-Telegram that he shot the video Wednesday afternoon as he walked past a motel in Denton. He said he heard a woman screaming from a balcony and saw two officers trying to restrain her.

Jones’s tweet, “After actually witnessing police brutality I look at that s--- a whole different way bro smh #DentonTx,” had over 11,230 retweets by 8 a.m. Thursday.

More than 5,280 people favorited the tweet at @BTP_TACO, with many asking what happened.

Jones said he lives in Dallas and was visiting his brother in Denton, who lives in an apartment near the motel.

Denton police said they were dispatched to the motel at 700 Fort Worth Drive on an indecent exposure call. The caller said a naked woman was carrying a baby outside, Denton police spokesman Ryan Grelle said in an emailed statement.

Upon arriving, three officers found the woman on the second floor balcony wrapped in a blanket and the baby in the arms of an “unknown male.” After officers tried to determine what was going on they realized the woman was in an “altered mental state,” according to the release. They tried to handcuff her so she could be checked out by medical personnel.

She resisted the officers and the man who was holding the baby gave the infant to another person and tried to interfere, according to police.

In the video, the man is waving his arms as he yells at police, using profanity and saying “I’m innocent” and “I’m trying to help her.”

The woman, still struggling with the officer, can be heard screaming, “Someone help me, please!”

The officer repeatedly tells the man to “back up” before the man moves toward the officer, who steps toward the man and uses his Taser, knocking the man down.

The man, identified by police as Marcus Coleman, 26, was arrested for interfering with public duties.

Police said he was trying to pass by the officer.

The woman was put on a stretcher to be taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

While police were still on the scene, a 3-year-old boy came out of their motel room “naked and wet,” Grelle said.

Police found the shower on with the hot water running, Grelle said.

Paramedics determined that the baby and the 3-year-old were OK, he said.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 9:13 PM with the headline "Heated arrest in Denton caught on video, posted on Twitter."