Man Beat Woman, Led Officers On Chase In Delaware County: Police

RADNOR TOWNSHIP, PA — A Delaware County man has been hit with felony kidnapping, felony assault, and related charges after police said he struck a woman and then fled police over the weekend.

According to Radnor Township Police, Darius Postelle, 35, of Chester, was charged with kidnapping, assault, evading arrest, and related crimes in connection with the Saturday incident in the Newtown section of Radnor Township.

According to police, a resident on the 800 block of Springhouse Lane called police at about 7 p.m. Saturday after seeing a man on top of a woman, striking her, and the woman screaming for help.

The resident told the man to get off the woman and said they were calling police, authorities told Patch.

Police said the man, later identified as Postelle, put the woman into a car, and meanwhile the resident who called 911 got his legal firearm and ran after the vehicle.

Postelle drove away with the woman in the vehicle, but police were provided a description of the vehicle and eventually saw it on West Chester Pike, police said.

When officers tried to stop the vehicle, Postelle continued driving, leading police through Newtown Township and into Marple Township, police said.

Postelle at some point got out of the vehicle and ran on foot into a wooded area, while the victim remained in the vehicle, according to police.

With the help of K9 units from Haverford and Newtown police, Postelle's whereabouts were surmised, but police said they were able to contact him via the victim's cellphone, which Postelle had, and convinced him to come out of the woods.

He was then taken into custody without incident, police said.

The victim suffered minor injuries to her face but did not require medical treatment, police said.

Postelle is being held on 10 percent of $500,000 bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 11, court records show.