Police: Naked man attacks troopers with seashell in backyard of Mt. Pleasant home
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — State police say a man from Vermont attacked troopers with a seashell when they tried to take him into custody.
Sam Coffey is charged with aggravated assault and public drunkenness after an incident one neighbor described as strange and terrifying.
"This is about the strangest thing I've ever seen," Rhonda McCrobie of Mt. Pleasant said. "I was a volunteer firefighter. I've seen a lot of strange things. Nothing like this."
Witnesses say Coffey, 46, drove his car into a neighborhood off Cummings Road and began to walk around in various states of undress. Coffey allegedly grabbed vegetables out of gardens and snacked on them.
"I found a tomato that had a big bite taken out of it," McCrobie said.
Coffey's behavior prompted someone to call the state police. When they arrived, troopers found Coffey standing on a backyard stump naked and holding a seashell to his ear while screaming.
Investigators say when troopers tried to take Coffey into custody, he threw rocks at them, started beating them with the shell, and then bit one trooper repeatedly.
State police say they repeatedly deployed tasers on Coffey before he was finally taken into custody. Court records indicate he was likely drunk or under the influence of something at the time of the incident.
The troopers involved in the incident suffered minor injuries.
Coffey is in the Westmoreland County Jail. He's facing multiple charges.