Gary Coleman Accused of Running Over Autograph Seeker

Former child star Gary Coleman could face charges after a run-in with an autograph seeker outside of a Utah bowling alley.

Police in Payson, Utah are trying to sort out whether Coleman intentionally ran over a man outside of the bowling alley, or whether it was an accident.

Friends of Gary Coleman say it was unintentional.

“He was just trying to get out of here because he was tired of the harassment,“ one friend who didn’t want to be identified said.

It happened around midnight outside the South County Bowling Lanes in Payson.

Coleman frequents that bowling alley, which is near his home in Santaquin.

Workers say he’s often treated like a celebrity there, with people asking for autographs or pictures.

Coleman’s friend and bodyguard said a man was harassing Coleman for a picture.

After the bowling alley closed for the night, the man persisted outside.

“This kid would not back off. He just would not back off,“ the friend continued.

Coleman’s truck was in the parking lot.

Witnesses say as Coleman began to back out, the man ran around the truck to the driver’s side window.

A witness says the tire hit the man’s knee and pulled him under the truck.

Coleman’s vehicle then hit another car.

A second man who also didn’t want to be identified witnessed the accident.

“He wasn’t looking backward and he wasn’t looking forward. If he was looking forward he wouldn’t run him over. If he was looking backward, he wouldn’t have hit the car,“ the man said.

A Sheriff’s deputy who happened to be in the area, pulled Coleman out of his truck.

Coleman is best known for his role in the TV sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes,“ but legal troubles in his adult years have put him in the spotlight that one friend says Coleman doesn’t welcome.

They say he bowls to have fun and unwind.

Friends say Coleman is trying to live a normal life.

“He was a celebrity quite a few years ago, and he’ll carry that status with him for a long time, probably until the day he dies. But give the gentleman a little bit of respect,“ a friend said.

The man who was hit by the truck was treated and released from the hospital.

Coleman was not arrested, but police say once the investigation is finished, it’s possible that Coleman or the man who was hit could get a citation.

Investigators say neither one is really talking to them about what happened.