Norristown community members seek answers after police hit a naked man with cruiser

Members of the public in Norristown are demanding answers after a police cruiser responding to a 911 call Wednesday morning struck a naked man standing in an intersection.

The incident, captured on video, shows a police SUV apparently accelerating toward the man, who was standing in the road with other vehicles stopped around him. After being hit by the car, the man flies several feet in the air and hits the pavement. Police then rush out of the vehicle and surround the man.

Norristown police said one officer has been put on paid administrative leave while the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office investigates the matter.

Police have not released the name the officer or the victim. District attorney’s office spokesperson Kate Delano confirmed that the man is alive, but declined to provide further details.

It’s a potential test for Norristown Police Chief Mike Trail, who has been on the job just about six months and is the fourth police chief to lead the agency in four years.

Trail took questions from community members at a public meeting Thursday. He said he wouldn’t be able to provide some details because they were part of the investigation, saying “my role here is to listen to you here tonight.”

Many of those questions centered on what residents who had seen the video perceived as the police officer’s decision to ram into the man.

Several people asked Trail whether agency policy ever would allow for a police officer to strike someone with a vehicle. Another speaker said she heard the car strike the man from her home.

Responding to questions, Trail pledged to make the police agency’s policies available to the public. He said he wants to initiate a mental health co-responder program, which would pair police officers with mental health experts trained to de-escalate situations.

“People experiencing mental health behavioral episodes are more likely to be victims of, to be subject to use of force by responding law enforcement officers because they lack the tools and the sophisticated training necessary to de-escalate,” Trail said.

But according to Heather Lewis, who leads the Reuniting Family Bail Fund in Norristown, local police should already know how to work safely with people dealing with mental health issues.

She said the incident has increased tensions among a community already upset at the local police for sharing information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“It was truly shocking,” Lewis said.