Ibn Coates, 28, is expected to receive a seven-year prison sentence under a plea agreement
Ibn Coates NEWARK -- About a year after being shot while struggling with Newark police officers, a city man has pleaded guilty to a weapons offense related to the incident.
Ibn Coates, 28, pleaded guilty on Nov. 9 to unlawful possession of a handgun in connection with the police-involved shooting.
Coates also pleaded guilty to a perjury charge for providing false information to police about an unrelated incident.
Under a plea agreement for both cases, prosecutors are recommending a seven-year prison sentence for Coates, according to Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14 before Superior Court Judge Michael Petrolle.
Coates also had been charged with theft, making terroristic threats, resisting arrest and other weapons offenses in connection with the shooting incident, but those charges will be dismissed as part of the plea deal.
Authorities said the shooting occurred around 10 p.m. on Nov. 20, 2014 after Newark officers, working as part of a firearms interdiction team, attempted to stop and interview Coates near South 9th Street and South Orange Avenue.
After Coates immediately jumped into a taxi, the officers activated their sirens and lights to pull the cab over, authorities said.
When police pulled the cab over, Coates got out of the vehicle and ran, authorities said. Coates was then shot once by a veteran police officer in the area of 163 South 6th Street during a struggle with officers, authorities said. A weapon was recovered at the scene, authorities said.
Coates was treated at University Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. He was transferred on Dec. 20 to the Essex County Correctional Facility, where he has remained in custody in lieu of $200,000 bail.
In an interview the day after the incident, Coates's sister, Khamiysha, said her brother has four children, and one more on the way.
"I'm devastated, because that's my baby brother. I just feel so helpless," said the sister, who moved to South Carolina several years ago. "I wanted to take my kids out of Newark because of things like this...I didn't want them growing up like that."
The perjury charge arises from an incident on March 1, 2014, when Coates came to Beth Israel Hospital with a gun shot wound, and later gave false statements to law enforcement, according to Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Ahmad Rasool, who handled both cases.
Bill Wichert may be reached at bwichert@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BillWichertNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
