Upper Moreland Township Police Department Photo by James Short.
Frank Martin, 45, faces felony charges of aggravated harassment by prisoner, retail theft, and other charges, after spitting on police officers, resisting arrest, and making terroristic threats towards officers, according to police.
On April 21, at 7:50 p.m., the Upper Moreland Police Department was dispatched to the Wawa located at 201 N. York Road in Willow Grove regarding a disturbance in which a man was yelling indiscriminately and began ripping items off of the shelves near the refrigerated section, according to police.
An employee from Wawa told police that the male left the store, but the employee wanted him trespassed from the store.
A short time later, police located a male, later identified as Martin, walking on the 300 block of N. York Road near the GIANT. According to police, Martin was irate and acting erratically. Police informed him that he would be arrested if he returned to the Wawa. Martin, according to police, was uncooperative and walked away.
A short time after that, it was discovered through NCIC that Martin had an active probation warrant originating from Delaware County. Three officers from the Upper Moreland Police Department located Martin walking on the grass outside the Upper Moreland Police Department. He was placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.
According to police, Martin continued to be irate with officers and continued yelling. Martin resisted officers’ movements as they attempted to place in him a holding cell.
While in the holding cell, Martin continued yelling and was irate, according to officers. Police officers tried to calm him down by removing the handcuffs, but Martin did not comply.
Martin then spat on one of the officers, making contact with the officer’s lip. Martin then told the officer that he was “going to kill” him.
Moments later, Martin told police officers that he was having trouble breathing in the holding cell. Officers then made preparations to transport him to the hospital, and while Martin was restrained on a gurney in the back of an ambulance, Martin told police officers that he had a gun and he was going to come back and shoot them in the head, according to police. He then told a second officer that he was going to kill him.
Medics had to sedate Martin before transporting him to Abington Memorial Hospital.
Police recovered an unopened Beat Box drink, and a 10-pack of Southern Comfort 1.7 oz. bottle pack with its plastic packaging still wrapped on Martin, which were allegedly stolen from the GIANT, according to a store employee. The total value of the items was $13.99.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
