By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the 711 Store on College Ave. last Sunday on reports of an assault.

Upon arrival the officers were flagged down by several people who informed me that someone had been stabbed. One person reportedly pointed directly at an individual leaving the scene and said that this was the suspect.

The officers caught up with the suspect in the Rite Aid parking lot, immediately recognizing him as Mark Galloway, and ordered him to stop and answer whether or not he had a knife, and he reportedly said that he did. Police ordered him to toss the knife away from him and he complied.

Galloway was handcuffed and told he was being detained as a suspect in an assault. He reportedly the officers that he was “jumped.” as he was walking back from the Davis Square T Stop. He said that he recognized a male who had assaulted him the night before. This male was with a group of other men. Some words were exchanged and the group of men allegedly “jumped” Galloway.

Galloway claimed to have been hit with stones and was pushed to the ground and kicked, at which time he went towards one of the alleged attackers with the knife. This individual then fell to the ground during his retreat and was stabbed by Galloway, who then left the area.

The officers asked Galloway if the knife that he had was the weapon used and he reportedly said “yes.”

Galloway claims to have been in fear for his safety and acted in self-defense. Witnesses at the scene disputed Galloway’s account and said that it was Galloway himself who approached the group of men and committed the assault aggressively and not in self-defense.

A small bag of brown and white powder was found on Galloway, who was asked if this was heroin. He reportedly said that it was. Pending further investigation of the alleged assault, Galloway was placed under arrest on a charge of possession of a class A drug.