Suspect charged with attempted murder in dangerous pursuit through Philadelphia
Tajan Durham has been charged with multiple counts of Attempted Murder, Assault of Law Enforcement Officer, and related offenses.
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced attempted murder and other charges against a man accused of opening fire on police officers during a lengthy chase through the city on Thursday night.
According to investigators, 28-year-old Tajan Durham got behind the wheel of a Jeep Trail Hawk on the 6800 block of Ditman Street just before 5:30 p.m. and refused to stop for officers. Police said the Jeep fit the description of a car sought in a deadly robbery.
Durham is accused of leading officers on a car chase through Mayfair and firing several shots at police through an open window. He eventually crashed into a pole on Revere Street and got out of the vehicle and fired eight more shots at a group of officers.
No officers were hit by the gunfire and no officers returned fire, police said. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small praised officers for their restraint, pointing out that they were blocks away from busy thoroughfares of Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue.
"If they were to fire shots at the suspect during rush hour near Roosevelt apartment, stray bullets could have went anywhere," Small said. "Officers did a great job, they showed a lot of restraint."
As Durham fled, investigators believe he stopped in the parking lot of an Office Max and threw his gun on the roof. Officers found Durham hiding underneath a parked car and took him into custody.
District Attorney Larry Krasner's Office charged Durham a day later with multiple counts of Attempted Murder, Assault of Law Enforcement Officer, and related offenses.
"This incident posed tremendous danger to the community, and it is a credit to the training and professionalism of Philadelphia Police that they were not physically harmed and that Mr. Durham was taken into custody without a single shot fired by our officers, no injuries to the defendant, and no physical harm done to nearby drivers, passengers, and pedestrians," Krasner said.
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