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West Chester man convicted of assaulting two officers

A 29-year-old West Chester man who has violently resisted arrest in Delaware County and Philadelphia was convicted Thursday of assaulting two police officers, this time in Chester County.

A 29-year-old West Chester man who has violently resisted arrest in Delaware County and Philadelphia was convicted Thursday of assaulting two police officers, this time in Chester County.

He is also facing charges in a fourth incident involving an alleged attack on officers.

The verdict resulted from a report of a dispute between Ty C. Murray and his mother at their West Goshen Township home on Wooded Way on March 16, 2010. "In an attempt to prevent officers from investigating," Murray began "to swing wildly," punching and kicking the officers, court records said.

A jury needed less than an hour to find Murray guilty of two counts of aggravated assault and related offenses.

Assistant District Attorney Michelle Frei said, "There's never an excuse for assaulting a police officer, and this guy's done the same thing before."

Murray's attorney, Robert J. Donatoni, said he had no comment on the verdict.

The prosecution witnesses during the two-day trial included the Delaware County and Philadelphia officers involved in the earlier incidents. Both led to convictions - and probation.

Court records show that Murray has a history of drug abuse and was accepted into Chester County's Drug Court in November 2000. But he was removed in August 2001.

On July 14, 2001, Murray was stopped for speeding in Newtown Township. Court records show that officers found an warrant against him for drug offenses, and tried to arrest him.

Murray escaped by pushing, kicking, and shoving two officers along a "highly traveled roadway, placing the officers in an immediate danger of being struck by passing automobiles," court records said. Murray was apprehended at a later date.

In Philadelphia, police stopped his car Nov. 18, 2008, in the 2600 block of Aramingo Avenue and determined that he was wanted for a probation violation, according to court records.

When police tried to arrest him, Murray shoved an officer out of the way and ran off, scaling a wall at Aramingo and Oakdale Street; officers took him into custody in a rear alley of the 2400 block of East Lehigh Avenue, court records said.

Murray's pending case occurred after he posted bail in the West Goshen case and was awaiting trial. On Sept. 29, he came in contact with two West Chester detectives conducting surveillance in the 100 block of South Matlack Street, court records said. Asked to remove his hands from his pockets so police could check them, Murray elbowed one officer in the head before leading police on a chase that resulted in his apprehension, court records said.

Murray is awaiting trial in that case.