Copyright AL.com
A longtime Tuscaloosa County commissioner involved in a struggle with police at a Tuscaloosa elementary school Tuesday has now been charged with a misdemeanor crime. Commissioner Reginald Murray, 66, who has served District 4 for 29 years, is charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental operations and disorderly conduct, Tuscaloosa police announced Wednesday. Murray turned himself into officers at the Tuscaloosa County Jail Wednesday. Bond was set at $2,000. Murray was trying to attend an awards program at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School when, according to police, he arrived after the 9 a.m. program began. Per school policy, all external doors of the school are locked once a program begins. Several people were able to enter the lobby when another person exited, and Murray began knocking on the locked door to the auditorium where the program was taking place. The officer exited the auditorium to escort Murray out of the building, but Murray refused to comply and physically resisted while yelling and causing a disruption, said TPD spokeswoman Stephanie Taylor. Officers reviewed all available information regarding the incident before obtaining the warrants Wednesday. “Our officer responded appropriately to maintain the safety and order of the school environment,” said Chief Brent Blankley. “As always, our priority Tuesday morning was the safety of students, staff and visitors,” Blankley said. “Once everything had calmed down and we had the opportunity to review what happened, we decided it was appropriate to move forward with charges.” Video posted to social media showed a chaotic scene with Murray on the ground and an officer on top of him trying to handcuff him. The officer eventually got the cuffs secured. Several bystanders were yelling at the police. The ordeal was taking place just outside the glass windows of the auditorium where students could be seen inside. During the struggle, Murray threatened to call the officer’s police chief and file a complaint on the officer. At one point, as Murray continued to resist, the officer put a Taser to his back but did not deploy the stun gun. Once handcuffed, Murray remained on his back on the floor and refused to stand up after school officials said they needed him to move so they could release the children into the hallway. “I’m going to stay on (my) back until these cuffs come off,” Murray said. Reached by cell phone Tuesday afternoon, Murray declined to comment but said he may do so at a later time. Officers have obtained warrants to charge another person in connection with the incident. Information will be released once he is arrested, Taylor said.
